


The Angel and the Wolf

by Lostgiraffe



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: A whole lotta fluff y'all, Alternate Universe, Angela "Mercy" Ziegler is an Angel, Angst, Archangel!Angela, But the fluff makes up for the angst so, F/F, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Minor Violence, My First Fanfic, Original Character(s), Werewolf fareeha, Werewolf!Fareeha, at least, there will be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-26 11:41:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 61,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10786044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lostgiraffe/pseuds/Lostgiraffe
Summary: Angela Ziegler is an Archangel. Archangels have a duty; to subdue the forces of Satan on Earth. Forces being vampires, werewolves and the like.But when she gets a strange patient with an even stranger wound, her whole life changes.And she falls in love with a Werewolf. A werewolf who is also Bonded with her.





	1. First Contact

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Just need to say beforehand that this is my first fic! Hope you enjoy, please don't mind my nooby writing style.

It was a hard day at work.

Dr. Angela Ziegler has taken the night shift, wanting to stay at the hospital for longer. Helping people was better than mindless self-indulgences, after all. She had several coffees during the day to help out with her shift, but they weren't as much help with the wake-ups than the overcoming slough of patients she had today.

The shift has been a blur, none of the patients had any sort of eye-popping disease or injury to the doctor. A few mild scratches on a thin, eight year old boy turned into a bearded man who apparently thought that he had some sort of heart disease. Angela laughed at the thought of that. The man was, to say the least, far from a heart attack, but yet he had given some of the nurses distress by his loud voice and arguments. Angela stepped in before he could do any real damage to the nurses, showing him proof that his assumptions were out of the window. The man walked out of the hospital smiling at her and promising to buy her a coffee soon.

After that, there was really no more action in the ER rooms, and Angela had decided to let the other nurses take care of minor injuries such as the ones that she has treated today. She trusted them, and also reminded them that if there were any situation that they could not fix, they were to call for her immediately. The nurses all nodded gravely, and she knew that she was going to hear from them soon.

Angela has retired to her office after the talk with the nurses. She drank what seemed to be her fifth cup of coffee from the day and caught up with her recent studies about certain nanotechnologies that caught her eye.

After a solid three hours have passed from studying and filling out reports, she leaned back in her chair, removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. The nurses must be holding up well if they didn’t call me yet, she thought, then she suddenly felt a wave of fatigue. _If I can close my eyes for one moment…_ she did, and about five seconds later, a nurse burst into her office.

“Doctor Ziegler!”

Angela’s eyes burst open, and she sat up in her chair.

“What is It, Marie?”

Marie looked shaken by the question.

“There’s a woman… She… U-uh… Severe i-injuries.” Marie was able to finish. Angela flinched and rose from her chair. _If it is that severe to have Marie stuttering, well I guess today isn’t such a dull day after all._

Marie turned on her heels and ran to the room where the woman was being held, trusting that Doctor Ziegler was on her tail. She was, and Angela was thinking about her family motto for protecting and healing as she winded through the crowded hospital halls. _Heal everyone to the extent where you cannot heal them anymore._

Arriving at the room, Marie abruptly turned and looked to Angela gravely. The door of room 357 was closed, and Angela opened it stiffly.

A crowd of nurses were crowded around the bed, machines beeping furiously around them. Upon her arrival, the nurses parted to let Angela take a look at the patient.

She was… beautiful. She had raven dark hair, with gold ornaments on them. Her eyes were closed, and under her right eye was an Egyptian tattoo, _one of an Egyptian god, Horus_ , Angela thought. She had a striking jawline-

 _No, bad Angela._ She had to go to work, and she had to stop goggling over her patient.

She rushed to the table, searching for whatever was wrong with the woman. And there she saw it. On her right side, barely covered by the white hospital sheets, were three very deep gashes, running all the way from her side to where she couldn’t see it anymore under the sheets. She cursed. Surely the nurses should know enough protocol to reveal the patient’s wound immediately.

Angela flung the sheets to the side, and realized what those marks were.

_That… that was made by claws of a wolf._

Being an Archangel, with wolves and other Underworlders to be her supposed moral enemies, she would’ve noticed what kind of scratch that was. It was running very deep though, and Angela knew why the nurses called her.

She disinfected her hands, put on her nylon gloves, and went to work.

____________

_God, it hurt._

The searing pain in her side only hurt more as the sheets were pulled from above it, exposing her wounds to the cold air of the hospital.

Fareeha kept her eyes closed, enduring the agony of which was her side. It felt like it was burning, being submerged in acid and being frozen all at the same time.

And to make matters worse, her friend Jesse took her to the hospital.

Anything was better than being stuck in a god-awful hospital. The nurses were all too fussy, and they all carried this false sense of importance, holding their head up high and only following textbook rules as of what to do to their patients. But they didn’t know what it was like out there.

Being in the heat of battle, the pain of the injuries. The trauma that goes along with It, and the paranoia that followed. It was awful, and she couldn’t bear to be under the care of the humans that she very sought to protect.

Until she opened her eyes and saw an angel. Actually, one that looked like an angel, but she didn’t know if she was actually one.

 _Well, to my eyes, she is_ , Fareeha thought.

Despite her blurry vision, she can make out a tuft of platinum blonde hair, a petit face, small glasses set on a small nose and a set of very big, blue eyes.

 _I feel like I can get lost in them,_ Fareeha thought. She liked blue. Especially that shade of blue.

She suddenly felt an urge to protect the angel, do whatever to get her safe. Fareeha was confused.

 _What is this feeling?_ She felt like all her strings to the Earth were cut off, save for one. One connecting to a certain someone.

_Is this… is this what it feels like to-_

She felt pressure on her side, the pain increasing, and she blacked out.

_______________________  
Two hours later.

The operation was done. Angela set on a chair beside the patient’s bed, rubbing her temples. She had stitched up the wounds, and it wasn’t bleeding as much anymore. All that was left to do was to watch the patient until she woke and healed.

Using this newfound time to think, she thought about those gashes, those wolf marks. Those were of lycanthrope claws, and as an Archangel, she had to look into this more thoroughly.

She was reminded of when she and her fellow Angel Reinhardt had talked about her duties.

_“We descended from the angel Gabriel, Angela. The Archangels were given a task; we must subdue the forces of Satan, and everything in between. Ah, as far as I know, vampires have migrated to the East, we don’t need to worry about them. But the wolves… You must watch out for the Lycanthropes, my dear. They are fruitless creatures, and will not hesitate to rip out a civilians throat for no other reason than for kicks.”_

_Reinhardt pointed to his eye, which had a long scar running across from It, and his eye a milky white._

_“They were the ones who gave me this care. And I hope to return the gesture.”_

_Angela gulped, hearing the usually cheery man give out a death threat to these ‘horrible’ creatures. Seeing her turn pale, Reinhardt laughed and patted her on the back._

_“You must not worry, mein Liebling. ‘Tis all just an eye for an eye!”_

After Reinhardt’s warning, Angela has been taught to despise them.

But now, the dogs were more disorganized than she thought. If they went out killing innocent civilians, they might as well be calling off the Peace Treaty.

 _Innocent civilians,_ Angela though, and narrowed her eyes at the woman on the bed. _What if she wasn’t a civilian?_

One instance that she could tell that this girl might not be a civilian was when she opened her eyes while Angela was stitching her wounds. She smiled a dopey smile at her, and struggled to speak. Angela had tried to silence her, telling her to rest as the worst was not yet over, but the woman waved away her hand.

“A-are you… injured?” The woman had asked her, and Angela was puzzled. She was not the patient here, why was she asking that? Surely she has felt the pain. Had she not?

“No, not at the moment, why do you ask?” Angela replied, hoping to keep up the conversation so the woman would be distracted from her wounds.

“’Cause… ‘Cause that’s a long fall from heaven!” The woman smiled her infectious, yet impressive smile, and before Angela could ask what that meant, the woman’s eyes closed, her head slumped against the pillow and she went unconscious again.

Thinking about the ordeal, Angela furrowed her brows. What had she meant? What falls from heaven-

At that point, Angela blushed deeply, having realized the answer. She was not a stranger to pickup lines, but this one seemed… genuine. But out of all the flirtation she has been through, no one called her an outright _angel._ She looked to the woman and smiled. _This impossible woman… cracking jokes while on the edge of potential death._

Angela found herself thinking about the moment over and over, about her smile, the way those soft brown eyes twinkled upon seeing her face-

And her smile, goddamn her smile.

Before she knew It, Angela was gushing over the woman on the gurney, and upon realizing this, she blushed again and looked at the woman.

But, perhaps that wasn’t a cheesy pickup line ( _and one that worked,_ Angela thought solemnly) and that was actually a subtle indicator that the woman on the gurney knew who she was, who she really was.

And perhaps, the woman on the gurney wasn’t like she had seemed.

Now that Angela thought about it, the woman did appear familiar. Not like she saw her off the street on some random day, but familiar as in… Well, she couldn’t tell. She did seem familiar-

A small groan was emitted from the bed, and Angela ears perked up. The woman opened her eyes slowly, lifted her head and took in her surroundings. Noticing the doctor on the chair, she groaned again and shoved her head back to the pillow.

“How are you feeling-“ Angela started, but was soon stopped, realizing that she didn’t know the woman’s name.

The other woman mumbled something incoherent and raised her arm on her good side up to her eyes to shield her from the light, her arm muscles bulging with effort.

Angela’s eye twitched. She had a weakness for people like her, the people who were obviously soldiers, or fighters. It didn’t help the fact that she was an Archangel, the one who was supposed to prevent war.

Angela supposed this was a straightforward woman who didn’t appreciate formalities, and so she got to the point.

“Well,” Angela said, clearing her throat. “You have severe gashes on your right side, and minor scratches in other places. You might have died if you weren’t in the right hands.”

She winked, imposing that her hands were the right hands, and she winked albeit knowing that the woman wouldn’t see it because she was covering her eyes.

The woman mumbled something about dying from embarrassment, and let one eye peek out from under her arm all to see a winking angel. She covered her eyes again and mumbled something about the death of her.

Angela smiled gently and excused herself to grab the patient’s file from her office, eager to know her name.

She knows she could’ve just asked the woman for her name, but it was a bit… Well, _weird,_ because a doctor was supposed to know their patient’s name, right? And plus, Marie had forgotten to give her the patient’s file, promising to drop it off at her office later.

As Angela navigated through the hospital halls, several people tried to ask her about any of their loved ones under her care. She quickly uttered assurances and scurried off before they asked of something else.

Reaching her office, she just realized how messy it was. News, reports and books all littered her table, and envelopes were tucked messily into her drawers. Angela sighed and decided that she would clean everything out once her shift was finished.

She gathered the woman’s folder on her desk that Marie had dropped off and sat down on her chair. Opening it, she was greeted with a picture of the woman smiling widely, looking at the camera with enthusiasm. She didn’t know where the hospital got this picture, but Angela fell in love with it at first glance.

She read on.

_Name: Fareeha Amari_   
_Age: 22_   
_Occupation: Former Security Captain, Soldier_

Angela twitched upon reading Fareeha's job. She was a soldier. And she knew that she had a weakness for soldiers.

Angela looked at the picture, those cheery brown eyes boring into her blues. Under her right eye was the tattoo that she had seen when she got a first look at Fareeha. One of the gods, Horus.

Certainly fitting, Angela thought with a smile, tucking the folder under her arm and heading back to Fareeha’s room.

Outside the room, she was going to knock on the wall beside the door before she entered. But before she could do so, she heard a loud grunt, and ruffling if the sheets.

_“Shit!”_

Angela brows furrowed and she burst into the room.

“Fareeha?”

The other woman was trying to get out of the bed, but feeling the pain in her abdomen she slunk back down onto the pillows. Angela clicked her tongue. Soldiers. Always want to get on with the pain.

Fareeha looked to the door with surprise having heard her name. The beautiful doctor was back, and hearing her voice say her name was enough to make Fareeha feel heat creeping onto her face, and she tried to slink further into the sheets.

“I’m fine, doctor, just a little-“ She stopped mid- sentence, feeling her abdomen twitch in pain. “-pain, is all.”

Being an Archangel, Angela always had this gut feeling whenever someone was lying. She felt the gut feeling now.

“Don’t be a pain for the doctors, Fareeha. I saved your life once, I won’t like to do it again.”

Fareeha stiffened upon hearing her name drawl out of the other woman’s lips.

“I’m sorry, doctor.”

“Call me Angela.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Angela.”

Angela looked at Fareeha with an eyebrow raised, and she saw the hint of mischief in her eyes, the same look she got when she not-so-subtly said the cheesy ( _but it worked_ , Angela thought) pickup line earlier. _This impossible woman…_

Angela found herself staring at Fareeha’s eyes. God, her eyes made Angela feel safe, a soft amber that bore the hint of affection.

“The Eye of Horus.”

Angela blinked.

“Excuse me?”

Fareeha raised a finger to the tattoo below her right eye.

“This is the Eye of Horus. Kind of an Amari tradition.” Fareeha’s face then turned red and her arm reached behind her to scratch at her neck in embarrassment. “I mean, I thought you were interested in it because… Well, you kept staring at it.”

Angela felt heat creep up to her face.

“Ah-ah, Well… it looks good on you, to be honest.”

Fareeha raised an eyebrow and smiled warmly. Angela’s insides fluttered.

“Say, doctor, I forgot to thank you for saving me.” Fareeha looked wearily outside her door to the hallway, where nurses, doctors and patients stumbled alike. “I don’t really like going to the hospital. It, well, it gives off a wrong kind of vibe to me.”

Angela laughed. “Your opinion is indifferent to that of a five year old.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Fareeha’s eyes widened. She clamped her mouth hard. She didn’t mean to say that out loud! Angela was taken aback, then giggled at the other woman’s embarrassment.

“No worries, _mein liebling._ ” Fareeha’s eyes furrowed at the unfamiliar language, but she smiled nonetheless. Angela fought back a smirk, she used the word knowing full well that the other woman wouldn’t be able to understand.

There was a knock on the door, and both of them jumped at the sudden intrusion.

“Doctor Ziegler? I would just like to inform you that your shift is finished for the night.” Marie informed learning on the doorframe. Making eye contact with Angela, she smirked and waggled her eyebrows. Angela groaned. Her friend/colleague was onto her.

“Well, I guess that’s me, then,” Angela stood up from the bed, and glanced at Fareeha. There was a glint to her eyes.

 _She’s… sad? Disappointed?_ Angela pondered, reading emotions being an expertise for becoming a doctor. Angela felt a pang of guilt, but ignored it because sometimes, leaving patients was for the best. Especially if you’re the lead healer in the hospital or the lead Archangel healer.

“Thanks for the company, doctor.” Fareeha tried to mask her emotions and smiled at the doctor

“Call me Angela.”

“Doctor Angela.” The glint in her eyes turned to that of mischief, and it made Angela insides flutter again. She waved her goodbyes and headed outside to where Marie was waiting.

Once they had walked out of earshot from Fareeha’s room, Marie abruptly stopped walking and turned to Angela with a raised eyebrow. Angela stopped as well, wondering what had caused her colleague to do that. She regretted ever doing so.

“I need details!” Marie blurted. Angela glared at her friend.

“It’s nothing like that, she is my patient and I am her doctor,” Angela said, trying to keep cool. She raised her right hand to scratch her chin. Marie suddenly grinned widely.

“ANGELA! YOU’RE SMITTEN!” Marie yelled and skipped forwards, humming a tune unabashedly. Angela eyes widened, and quickly glanced at Fareeha’s room.

“She's still in there!” Angela worried Fareeha might’ve heard. Marie just ignored her with a wave of her hand and Angela had to run to catch up with the skipping woman.

“So you don’t deny It?” Marie asked with a smirk.

“Marie, we are here for professional reasons-“

“Ah, there you go again.” Angela was confused.

“…again?” Marie’s smirk grew impossibly wider, and brought her hand to her chin.

“This-“ she indicated her actions with her other hand, “-is your dead giveaway if you’re lying or holding something back.”

Angela blushed and quickly retracted her hand to her chin. (which she had placed unknowingly)

They walked in silence save for Marie’s annoying humming. (She hummed the wedding song, and Angela tried her best to ignore her, but she couldn’t help but to think about weddings) They arrived at Angela’s office and Marie winked at her before heading off to attend to some other business. Angela sighed and tidied her office. Envelopes need to be in the drawer, files categorized A-Z, and personal research set under her table. Once Angela was finished, she grabbed her jacket and left the room, not noticing that she left Fareeha’s file on top of her desk, flipped open to the woman's smiling picture.

 

 

She breathed a sigh of relief outside the hospital doors, her right hand clutching a takeout coffee cup. She chastised herself for drinking so much coffee, but it was necessary in her line of work.

It was a bit chilly outside. Angela wrapped her knee-length coat closer to her and took a sip of her coffee, glad for the warmth. Then she started walking to her house.

Her house wasn’t a long ways away (due to her pickiness to be conveniently located close to her work) but the walk felt long and stretched out. Her house was in a good neighborhood, and so she didn’t worry about criminals and the like. Several other people were walking on the sidewalk with her, but not many as it was early morning.

Angela looked at how the lampposts illuminated off of the antique shops on the street. She watched as a man jogged pass by her, giving her a nod as he did. There were very few cars on the road in comparison to which would be about two hours later. The sun had not yet risen, and the moon bathed the ground in a faint façade.

Angela suddenly felt eyes on her back as she walked. Most humans wouldn’t be able to tell, but Angela knew for sure, being trained as an Archangel. Suddenly becoming paranoid, she rounded the corner. The gaze had not subsided.

She was now panicking. Angela was paranoid from past experiences, and had learnt her lessons. She rounded the whole block, walking in a circle to see if the feeling would ensue.

It did.

She then tried a different tactic. Everyone she walked by a person, she’d make sure that she would go behind the person to try to wrench the gaze away from her. It didn’t.

She slunk to the side of the buildings, trying to blend in with shadows, so the gaze would pay her no mind. Oh, it did pay her mind.

Angela abruptly stopped walking and looked behind her. There was no one there, aside from people she had walked past earlier. But there seemed to be a man in the shadow of a lamppost. She squinted-

_“Verdammt!”_

She cursed as someone pushed her hard into a dark alley filled with garbage bins and surrounded by brick walls. Angela stumbled to the ground and looked behind her to try to take a look at her oppressor.

Then, her stomach lurched. She had an uneasy feeling in her stomach, and she doubled over, dots peppering her vision.

_No, no, no-_

She was going to get kidnapped. Or killed.

The figure that had pushed her laughed, a deep throaty sound coming from his throat. Angela squinted to try to get a good look at the guy, as a lamppost on the street made his features dark from the backdrop.

Angela's eyes then started glowing bright blue.

 _“It’s called Vision,”_ Angela recalled her late mother saying.

_“It runs in the family, and you are very lucky to have It.” Seven year-old Angela grinned at her mother, and she ruffled her hair. They were sitting in the living room in their house in Zurich, where Angela was eating a few imported figs, and her mother was telling her stories of that an Archangel._

_“It allows you to see someone very clearly, despite any aspect. Being a family of doctors, it is very useful to us as we can see injuries that anyone else cannot see. We can also use it as night Vision, in case we must operate in low-light conditions, or if you lost your underwear.”_

_Little Angela laughed, because she has done just that the day before._

This was the first time Angela has used Vision in over three years. Working in a hospital for common folk, she did not need to use it unless treating other Archangels. But this seemed appropriate.

The man was wearing a jean jacket and a white shirt, his eyes were haggard, he had an unshaven beard, and he had a crazy look to his eyes, but he was grinning as if he had caught his prey.

“Ah, Vision,” The man chuckled. “Never thought I’d be able to see it. A beautiful thing, it is, and you are, but unfortunately, it won’t be much use anymore.” He laughed again.

“Who are you?” Angela spat, and she felt adrenaline rush through her, her fight or flight hormones coursing through her body. _I sure need it,_ she thought.

“Well, the Angel asked for my name. Never hoped to see the day the socialites would speak to our kind, the nasty beasts from Hell.” The man snorted. “Well, Ms. Ziegler, my name is Khalil and I’m here-“

The man’s eyes slowly turned from black to shiny gold, and he grinned even wider, fangs protruding from his mouth.

_“- and I’m here to rid the Ziegler bloodline.”_

He leapt into the air, and Angela stumbled backwards to try to avoid him. But she couldn’t. Something behind her halted her movement.

In mid-air, the man’s body started to shift. His skin turned into fur, and muscles and sinew burst from his clothes. His eyes were fully gold, and full of hunger. His fur was dark brown, and she saw him pull his muzzle back to reveal a row of sharp teeth. She saw the transformation from man to wolf in full detail, whether she wanted or did not want to, because of her Vision.

It almost looked like he was grinning. And Angela couldn’t do anything about it.

She watched him approach her in slow motion, and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. _Angela, lead healer of the Archangels, death by wolf attack._ How tragic would that be?

“GRRRRRRR-“

She heard a growl from somewhere other than the wolf-man, and she opened her eyes.

A pitch-black blur ran across the alley and leapt, biting the brown wolf while colliding with him. The brown wolf hit the side of a brick wall, and it let out a frustrated whimper. Angela could now clearly make out that the black blur was indeed a black wolf.

Black Wolf backed up, letting the brown wolf stand and recover. Angela felt bile rising to her throat.

 _They’re comrades_ , she realized and she stood, taking the opportunity to run and try to tackle the black wolf. The black wolf turned its head, and stepped to the side as Angela was about to make contact. She tripped and fell to the ground with an _oof._

The black wolf snorted at her. Angela glared at it. It also had gold eyes, but it seemed more prominent than the brown wolf's. While the brown wolf’s was faded gold, the black wolf’s was bright and lively.

The wolf snorted again and shook its head. Angela could swear that she saw a ghost of a smile on its face. They made eye contact again, and Angela realized that if this wolf was a comrade of the brown wolf, then Angela wouldn’t have been alive by now. The black wolf had saved her. She stood up and approached It-

And the brown wolf flew to the black, making contact. They both hit the ground hard, and the black wolf growled and wrestled with the brown wolf.

Angela watched the whole thing, her Vision helping with every detail. They bit each other, jumped back, then one would leap and hit the other. While on the ground, one would bite and wrestle. But there was a disadvantage.

It was clear that the brown wolf had more fighting experience, while the black was skilled but in close combat didn’t skill as the other.

The brown wolf flew to the black, but the black quickly sidestepped like it did for Angela, and the brown wolf landed clumsily on its feet. It was expecting to connect, but the black wolf was fast.

The brown wolf growled and glared at the black. The black wolf growled back, its ears flattening against its head as it pulled back its muzzle, exposing its teeth. They stared at each other, and they both circled around each other, trying to anticipate who would strike first.

The black wolf’s golden eyes flicked around the brown wolf’s figure, and Angela figured that it was analyzing the other wolf’s moves. If it couldn’t win by brute force, it would win by strategy.

The brown wolf snarled impatiently, and ran to the awaiting black wolf. The black wolf just stood there at the rapidly approaching wolf, then at the last moment, it sidestepped, dodging the attack smoothly. The brown wolf stopped its momentum, confused, then was sent tumbling as the brown wolf bit at its neck and pushed it to the wall.

Angela’s eyes widened. The black wolf’s eyes turned from gold to blood red, its eyes seemingly wild, and using her Vision, she saw-

_The black wolf was glowing blue._

Any other eye would have just seen the red, bloodshot eyes, but Angela saw the blue glow. Whatever special power the black wolf had, it was using it now.

The brown wolf was against the wall, trying to defend against the relentless attacks from the black wolf. No, the blue wolf.

The brown wolf whimpered, and the blue wolf went in for a final attack, claws raking across the other wolf’s face. The brown wolf’s defense became feeble, and it croaked out a small howl to the night sky before lying limp against the brick wall.

Angela stared at the blue wolf, dumbfounded.

 _The lycanthrope just saved my life._ A lycanthrope, those who she have grown to hate, had just saved her life. And from another lycanthrope, nonetheless. What in the world is happening?

The blue wolf breathed heavily, then turned around to make eye contact with Angela, its blood red eyes boring into her. She didn’t see menace in its eyes. In fact, she saw-

_Worry._

Angela took this moment to observe her lifesaver’s features. It had about the same body build as the brown wolf, but there was a marking beneath its eyes. Angela squinted while using Vision to try to make the marking clearer.

It had one line going straight down from its right eye, and another one curled beside it. An Udjat. One of the gods. _One of the god Horus._

Angela eyes widened as she looked at the blue wolf, who was still glowing prominently against the darkness of the morning. The blue wolf stared back, looking confused, but then Angela saw a flash of pain in its eyes. The wolf broke contact, and bowed its head in a seemingly apologetic way.

Angela managed to croak out one word. A word, or a name rather, that had been in her mind for the past few hours.

“…Fareeha?”


	2. Connections

The wolf in front of her just stared at her, its blood red eyes meeting blues. Angela slowly saw the blue glow fade away from the wolf, and the red eyes fading to gold. In a moment’s time, the wolf was again black with the prominent gold.

 

_Why am I calling it the wolf? That’s Fareeha,_ Angela thought. Fareeha, the beautiful woman whom she treated at the hospital. The one who had _wolf bites._

 

She took a tentative step forward.

 

“Fareeha?” She said and the wolf dipped its head, as if it was nodding. Angela felt her heart flutter. This woman just saved her life. And now-

 

Fareeha abruptly dropped to the ground, limp. Angela’s eyes widened.

_No, no, no-_

Angela rushed to the fallen wolf, and she placed her hand in where she thought the carotid artery of the wolf was. She felt around for a pulse, and sighed in relief.

 

She felt a faint, but steady heartbeat under the soft bundle of black fur.

 

_Soft,_ she thought, and she giggled to herself because she was acting like a five-year-old right now. Like petting a dog.

 

_A dog. A lycanthrope._ Angela’s eyebrows furrowed and she was brought back to Earth, back from her childish dreams. She glanced behind her onto the street, where the sun was rising and more cars have appeared onto the road.

 

She looked back at Fareeha, and continued to grope around her fur for some sort of injury. She felt her hand get soaked in blood at Fareeha’s side, and she retracted her hand to find it covered in red.

 

_My fault. This was my fault._

 

She tore off her jacket and hastily wrapped it around the wolf, hoping that it’ll give some pressure, and decided her next course of action. She would have get Fareeha back to her apartment, because god knows what would happen to her if Angela brought her to the hospital. A lot of Archangels worked there as well, and knowing an injured lycanthrope was just lying there…

 

Angela would never let that happen. It was a life for a life. _Or a favor for a favor,_ Angela thought conversely.

So how was she going to get this wolf to her apartment? Angela snapped her fingers. She had an idea.

__________

 

_God, it hurt._

 

Here Fareeha was, feeling pain in her side _yet again._ Now, both her sides were injured, and Fareeha couldn’t do anything about it.

 

_What if you had been more careful, Fareeha?_ She spat sarcasm at herself. She just felt like she needed to protect the doctor. The doctor that she was-

 

_No, don’t think about that now._

 

Fareeha slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

 

She had expected to be lying in the same alley in which she had passed out in.

 

_Passed out._ Fareeha cringed. _Are you that weak now? From all the training, the battles you’ve been in, this is what brings you down?_

 

Instead, she found herself in a cozy bedroom. The room was filled in a warm, brown ambience, which she figured out came from the rising sun. The bed had yellow and white covers. The closet to the right of the bed which Fareeha was lying on was closed. There was a bedside table with a clock on it, and a cup of takeout coffee.

 

_6:57,_ she read from the clock. It’s been about an hour and a half since she was released from the hospital. She cringed as she remembered the memory

 

_After she had been released, she felt drawn to a certain street, and as a wolf, she had been taught to trust her instincts. She followed that tug, and she followed it street through street, then it led her to a dark alley. She was reluctant to follow it further, but then she encountered Khalil trying to assassinate the good doctor._

 

After that, it was all just a blur. A blur of instinct and duty.  
  
She tried to sit up on the bed, but that’s when she felt she still had four legs. She sighed and Shifted, muscles and fur turning into flesh and… still muscles.  
  
Sitting up successfully and ignoring the burning pain on her two sides, she waddled over to the door and tentatively gripped the bronze knob.  
  
_Whose house is this?_ She wondered just now. Maybe it's Khalil's. Maybe he survived. She narrowed her eyes and felt adrenaline rush through her. _No, he couldn’t have survived._ Then Fareeha’s eyes went from alert to calm. _Or it’s the gorgeous doctor's._  
  
Fareeha relaxed a little, and turned the knob.  
  
First thing she noticed was the smell of sugar. Her stomach immediately grumbled.  
  
There was a small kitchen to her right, with a table set with two bowls and a box of-  
  
_Fruit Loops?_  
  
She looked to the left, where there was a window with sunlight streaming in from it and a couch underneath it. There was a figure on the couch. A figure with beautiful blonde hair, a beautiful face, beautiful eyes, and a beautiful smile.  
  
Fareeha blinked. _I’m in the good doctor's home._ There was a book about nanotech in the doctor’s lap, she was wearing a loose white t-shirt and _very_ short shorts, and having noticed Fareeha, she smiled brightly. A smile so bright, it could light up the darkness in which Fareeha was living in.  
  
“Ah, glad to see you’re awake, Fareeha,” the doctor grinned at her. Fareeha’s mind was unresponsive.  
  
“I-uh, Well… y-you… I-“ Fareeha stuttered and the doctor laughed, the sound like pealing bells to Fareeha’s ears.  
  
“No worries. But, ah _mein liebling_ …” The doctor looked down at Fareeha’s form and blushed. Fareeha looked down as well, and her eyes widened.  
  
_IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT!_ She was NAKED!  
  
“AAH! I APOLOGIZE! IT’S JUST THAT I’M USUALLY ALONE AND-“ Fareeha stuttered, but all the doctor did was laugh on the couch. Fareeha doesn’t immediately recall that her clothes always rips out every time she Shifts, but when it did rip, she usually made it home herself and no one usually saw her _this_ way.

 

“I have some clothes in the drawers in my room,” the doctor waved her hand through the door that Fareeha was standing in. Then she winked.

 

“Don’t worry, as a doctor, I see lots of things. Of course though, during the operation, I have already seen yours...”

 

Fareeha gaped at the doctor, then apologized and rapidly went into the room and closed the door.

 

_What was that all about? It kinda sounded like she was flirting-_

 

_NO!_ Fareeha shook her head wildly. _Bad, bad thoughts._

 

Fareeha opened the closet doors, and sure enough, there were drawers filled with sweaters, clothes, and linger-

 

_Whoa!_ Fareeha scolded herself, and slowly closed the drawer filled with lingerie _. Not okay, Fareeha._

 

After five minutes, Fareeha emerged from the room still trying to pull on a medical school hoodie that was way too small for her. In fact, all of the doctor’s clothes were too small for her, but it was better that outright _nothing._ She was wearing oversized joggers (which fit her perfectly) a sleeveless tee and the hoodie.

 

Upon seeing her emerge, the doctor dropped her book on the ground. Fareeha raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“I-its… No, I-I-” the doctor stuttered while trying haplessly to pick up her fallen book. Fareeha smirked knowingly. She hadn’t put on the hoodie, and her muscles were on full show from the sleeveless tee. She raised an eyebrow and testingly flexed her muscle.

 

_Thud!_

 

The book fell to the floor again.

 

“Oh dear.” The doctor put a hand to her face, trying to cover the red blooming onto her face  but it was not succeeding enough. “I think I’ve had too much coffee.”

 

Fareeha laughed, then her stomach grumbled. She looked at the doctor questioningly, and she sighed. The doctor walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat in another. Fareeha helped herself to the pulled-out chair.

 

“So, Fareeha. I… Well, I need to thank you for saving my, err, my life earlier.” the doctor stuttered.

 

“No worries, doc. Just serving justice.” Fareeha smiled warmly at the doctor, and began pouring milk in her bowl of Froot Loops.

 

“Call me Angela. And please don’t add doctor to it. Just Angela.”

 

“Doc-”

 

The doctor instantaneously lunged forward on the table and pinched Fareeha’s cheek.

 

“Wha- _ow!_ ” Fareeha rubbed her cheek and looked incredulously at the doctor, who was still leaning forward on the table. Her shirt was pulled down to show a considerable amount of cleavage, and Fareeha’s eyes trailed downwards-

 

_NONONONONONONONONONONONO!_ She snapped her eyes back at the doctor, who now had a smirk plastered onto her face and a very un-doctor-like glint to her eyes.

 

“I-I’m so sorry, it just-” Fareeha stuttered, but couldn’t get a single sentence out.

 

The doctor slumped back onto her chair, that smirk etched even farther. All she had to do was wink, and Fareeha’s brain went dead once again.

 

A minute has passed since Fareeha had her last thought, and she shook off her reverie and suddenly looked very interested in her Froot Loops.

 

_Wolves need sugar._

 

She took a bite, and she hummed in approval. She took spoonful after spoonful, savoring that much-needed sugar and feeling it course through her body. Not even ten seconds have passed, and Fareeha was already pouring in her second bowl of Froot Loops. Angela laughed her pealing-bell laugh.

 

“Wolves do have a big appetite, don’t they?”

 

Fareeha stopped eating and looked at the doctor with wide eyes. She then straightened her posture, and instead of scooping an overflowing spoonful of cereal, she took three Loops in an attempt to eat less _wolfy,_ her brow furrowing at the small amount. Angela giggled again, and Fareeha’s heart lurched.

 

“By the way-” Fareeha ditched the three Loops and shoved an inhumane amount of cereal in her mouth. “-are you okay with… well, housing a _werewolf?_ ”

 

Angela smiled at her, but it had a hint of uncertainty.

“You saved my life. It’s only right and just. And plus, this isn’t even enough to pay you back for what you did.”

 

Fareeha waved her hand at the doctor, who she now noticed was not eating any Froot Loops, her bowl empty.

 

“No, I was doing what I had to. Plus, Khalil is kind of an annoyance in my opinion, so-”

 

Fareeha then was reminded of what she had done to him a couple hours ago. Bile rose to her throat, and she abruptly stopped chewing mid-chew.

 

_I killed him._

 

She hastily swallowed the Froot Loops in her mouth, and set down her spoon, folding her hands on her lap. _I killed a fellow wolf._

 

Angela, probably having sensed her change of mood, stood from her chair and strode over to where Fareeha was sitting and placed her hands on top of Fareeha’s.

 

“Whatever you’re going through, I want to help you. It’s the least I can do for your heroism.” She smiled weakly at Fareeha and she smiled back.

 

Fareeha stood, which sent the doctor unexpectedly toppling to one side, caught off guard. Instinct kicked in Fareeha and she wrapped her arms around the other woman’s waist, catching her. She grinned.

 

“Doctors are clumsy, aren’t they?” She said, letting go of Angela, but not before she could spot the red blooming onto her features.

 

“Ah, well yes, as doctors… I mean, we are clumsy, although we must not be… I think.” She tried to think up of a plausible excuse to say to the woman, but it fell short. Fareeha already knew what kind of effect she had on the good doctor.

 

“By the way, doc-” Fareeha started but Angela swatted her playfully on her arm.

 

“ _Angela.”_

 

“Doc Ange, how did you know that wolves needed sugar?” Fareeha raised an eyebrow to the shorter woman, who suddenly looked away and fiddled with her fingers. A few seconds have passed, then the doctor spoke.

“I mean, we all aren’t strangers to wolf lore.” Angela smiled apologetically to Fareeha. “Wolves need something to keep them up and running, and sugar is just that. It won’t have the same effect to other… Fantasy species though. Just wolves. I don’t even know why.”

 

Fareeha had a gut feeling that the doctor was lying, but wolf lore did say that wolves needed a kind of pick-me-up.

 

“Well, you aren’t half wrong. Sugar helps us re-generate our muscles and tissues, as if we don’t regenerate fast enough. So it helps us heal, mostly. I don’t even know why. Just some weird wolf lore, right?” She smiled toothily to the doctor, whose face then turned a darker shade of red.

 

“Speaking of healing-” Angela shoved Fareeha to the direction of her room, “You, Mr. Wolf, need to rest.”

 

Fareeha looked incredulously at the doctor. “ _Mr._ Wolf?”

 

“Yes, do you know what time it is?”

 

Fareeha shook her head at the doctor. “Not funny.”

 

“Then why are you smiling?”

 

Fareeha wiped her smile that she had unknowingly put on off her face, and raised an eyebrow to the doctor.

 

“What smile?”

 

Angela swatted her arm once again, and she opened the door to her bedroom, the sunlight blinding Fareeha for just a moment.

 

“You, _Mr. Wolf,_ need to rest, to regenerate your tissue whatever.” Angela tried shoving the rock-hard Fareeha onto the bed, but she didn’t budge.

 

“And where will you sleep?” She asked the good doctor. She shrugged.

“The couch.”

 

“No, no. Unacceptable.” Fareeha then lifted an unexpecting Angela into her arms bridal-style, and strode towards the bed.

 

“W-What are you doing? _Mein gott,_ Fareeha, you are my patient and you must heal-”

 

“And you also need to _heal,_ doctor. You aren’t exactly a perfect doctor as of the moment.”

 

Angela scoffed.

“Since when are doctors perfect? Seriously, patients always have much higher expectations than- FAREEHA PUT ME DOWN!” Fareeha threw Angela into the air to shut the babbling doctor, then she caught the doc again, which made the doctor’s face extremely red.

 

“As you wish.” She then put the doctor on the bed, then quickly retreated to the door to head to the couch before getting any objections.

 

“Hey! Come back here! You need to rest, you need it more than me!” She heard a pleading voice from the bed and Fareeha laughed.

 

“Yes, and I will rest, but on the couch. This is your house, _doc._ ”

 

She heard a groan from the bed, and she turned around to take one last look at the doctor. She lay on the bed with a hand rubbing the bridge of her nose, obviously trying her hardest to stay awake.

 

“Younidturestondabed…” Angela mumbled, but soon, she heard light snores from the bed. Fareeha snickered. _Victory!_

 

She closed the bedroom door and headed to the cream-colored couch, and she put a hand behind her head to act like a makeshift pillow. Memories of the fight with Khalil flashed behind her eyelids, but soon, she dozed off peacefully.

 

___________

 

_Jesus, Angela._

 

She sure had made a fool of herself earlier, when she saw Fareeha in _her_ pants, in _her_ sleeveless tee. Fareeha looked extremely… incredible, what with her soldier build and muscles.

 

“ _Mein gott.”_ She turned to her side on the bed, and she thought about her situation with the other woman. She was an Archangel, and Fareeha was a lycanthrope. Supposed sworn enemies. Light against dark.

 

Angela assumed that the other woman believed that she was a human, and she decided that it was for the best that she keep it that way. If Angela did say the truth to Fareeha, maybe… maybe Khalil’s attempt at assassination wouldn’t be the last.

 

She remembered Fareeha’s kind smiles, and the genuine crinkle in her eye when she makes eye contact with Angela. Would she do that? If Angela told her the truth, that she was an Archangel, would Fareeha turn on her? Leave her? Betray her and perhaps lead her whole pack towards her house to finish what Khalil had started?

 

Maybe she would. Maybe she wouldn’t. But in the short time that they have known each other, Angela has felt this tugging feeling whenever Fareeha wasn’t around. She passed it off as mere paranoia, being an Archangel, but it wasn’t the same kind of tugging when Khalil was following her. It was more like a… a kind of need to be around the other woman.

 

_What kind of myths are you making up now, Angela?_ She sighed, and fluffed her pillow in a feeble attempt to rid her mind of these serious thoughts. But she really did need to think this through. She was housing a _lycanthrope,_ after all. Being the lead healer of the Angels, she supposed that was not a good addition to her reputation.

 

Of course, Angela was okay with housing Fareeha at the moment. Maybe they might even become friends.

 

_Definitely being friends,_ Angela thought. She didn’t want to lose contact with the charismatic woman. She set off this kind of vibe that other people couldn’t. She made Angela feel… safe.

 

_Maybe ‘cause she saved your life?_ Angela shook her head, and stood up from the bed. She took a quick glance at the clock by her bed, and it read an hour and a half after Fareeha had _thrown_ her on the bed.

 

She smiled at the memory. _She sure did have the guts to throw me onto the bed._ Angela made a mental note to make Fareeha pay for what she did later.

 

She exited the room, closing the door silently. She then looked onto the couch, where a sleeping Fareeha lay. Her eyes were closed, and she had a ghost of a smile on her face. She looked so peaceful. So happy.

 

Angela strode over to the couch, and knelt by where Fareeha’s head was. She heard her faint breathing. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Sure as the rising and the setting of the sun.

 

She then looked at the other places other than her face. Her arms were now in full view, as the woman had taken off the damned hoodie. It was hot in her house, after all.

 

There were scratches and outlines of scars all over her arm. Angela’s eyebrows furrowed in worry. This woman must’ve been in many battles, having so many scars.

 

A sense of pity washed through her, and she wondered how well the lycanthrope healers treated their soldiers.

 

_Or if they had any healers at all._ Knowing the history of the wolves, they were more offensive than defensive, throwing any care out of the window. They were known for being fearless, facing whatever may come into their path. Which might be why they might have no healers. Their ‘healers’ were probably soldiers, too.

 

Angela’s attention then went back to Fareeha’s face. Before she knew it, her hand was tracing the dark lines of the Udjat, the Eye of Horus. It was so fitting, to have the tattoo of the protector on her.

 

_“Kind of an Amari tradition,”_ Angela recalled the other woman saying. _Amari. Amari. Why did that name seem so familiar?_

 

“Mmnh,” Fareeha suddenly groaned, the deep sound resonating around the room. She leaned into Angela’s hand, and Angela bit back a smile.

 

_Beep!_

 

Angela’s eyes snapped to her phone, where her reminder was ringing. _She had work!_

 

She looked back at the sleeping woman, at the curve of her mouth, and how pleasant she looked with Angela’s hand smushed against her cheek. As much as she would like to stay with the woman… she still had duties to the people.

 

Angela tentatively tried to retract her hand from Fareeha’s cheek, but Fareeha’s hand whipped up and gripped her hand lightly. Gripped it with force enough for Angela to slip her hand off easily, but gripped it nonetheless.

 

“Please,” Fareeha said sleepily, and Angela’s insides fluttered at the sound of her sleep-induced voice. Whatever the werewolf said at this moment was completely genuine, because her subconscious mind was in control now.

 

“Why?” Angela asked softly, not wanting to wake the other woman. Fareeha took a moment to respond, her mouth trying to form words.

“Someone… someone… I finally have someone…”

 

Angela’s eyes widened and her eyes reflected worry.

 

_Was she… was she all alone?_

 

If Fareeha needed someone by her side, Angela hoped it would be her. She didn’t know what a wolf’s life was like, but it should be for sure harder than hers. Wolves were based off of survival of the fittest. If you were weak and useless in the battlefield, they would throw you away, disregard you as if you were nothing but a piece of trash.

 

Angela knew though, that this was not Fareeha’s case. Of the many scars that the woman had, and her fighting capabilities, she should be highly regarded in the wolf packs.

 

Maybe that was it. Her reputation was too much to uphold, and she just needed support-

 

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

 

Her alarm followed minutes after her reminder, and she felt movement against her hand. Angela looked at Fareeha, and saw her stir. She quickly retracted her hand because she knew that the other woman would be quite embarrassed if she found out what she had said while still mostly asleep.

 

Angela watched as she slowly opened her eyes, those soft brown eyes taking in her surroundings. Instead of analyzing the room like she was used to, she was greeted with a full view of the gorgeous doctor’s face.

 

“Good… morning?” Fareeha drawled and lifted herself to look out the window. Angela did the same.

 

_Wow._ The sunrise was spectacular. Angela had never come to appreciate the sight, because at this time she was usually so engrossed in her work, but… _wow._

 

The sky was bathed in an orange ambience, with hints of purple along the horizon. The sun was a dull yellow, hiding behind the orange clouds, blending in perfectly with the sky. There were dots of navy blue across the sky. It all looked like a scene taken out of a Van Gogh painting.

 

“That’s-” Angela started.

 

“Beautiful.” Fareeha finished, while staring at Angela. She grinned shyly at Angela. Angela got the feeling that Fareeha wasn't referring to the sunset anymore.

 

Angela got up from her sitting position beside the couch and switched off her alarm. Fareeha rubbed her eyes on the couch and wondered why the doctor was even beside the couch in the first place.

 

“Breakfast?” Angela asked while teasingly holding up the Froot Loops on the table. Fareeha groaned and leaned back on the couch, lifting up her hand to rub her forehead, bicep noticeably bulging.

 

Angela gulped, and she felt heat creep onto her face.

 

_Get ahold of yourself, Angela!_

 

She began pouring Froot Loops into an empty bowl for the werewolf who was still rubbing her forehead and her eyes on the couch. No sooner than she had poured the last Loop, Fareeha was already at the table, sitting with a spoon in one hand, awaiting the meal.

 

Angela laughed and slid the bowl over to the other woman who poured milk and began to devour the sugar. Angela sat down and observed the wolf who was now lapping up the remaining milk, finishing the cereal in record time.

 

_Awhoooooooo!_

 

Angela snapped her head to the window, where the sunset was. _That was a wolf’s howl. A call-to-arms._

 

She then looked at the werewolf whose eyes were glowing yellow, despite being in human form. Fareeha looked at Angela, her eyes reflecting alarm, and slid off her chair reluctantly.

 

“That was… I have to go.” Fareeha said, and took one last look at the doctor before muttering something incoherent.

 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Angela said, trying to get the other woman to say what she had muttered. She got off her own chair, and made her way to her apartment door, which Fareeha was currently standing in front of.

 

“I- well, I would say it’s been nice knowing you, but we both know this won’t be the last we’d be seeing each other.” Fareeha turned around and smiled warmly at the doctor, which made her feel heat course through her body.

 

“And- _oh!_ I’ll make sure to drop these off within the week.” She indicated Angela’s clothes that she was wearing, the sleeveless tee and the joggers. “I’ll make sure not to rip them.”

 

Angela nodded, and smiled back at the towering woman. Fareeha then turned the knob of the exit from the apartment, and just like that, she was gone.

 

Angela then went back to her living room, and onto the couch where there was still a dent in it from where the other woman had slept. She lay onto the couch and curled into it, the warmth still emanating from the beige leather.

 

_Five minutes,_ she thought. _Just let me have five minutes of peace…_

 

___________

 

Fareeha ran once she got out of the apartment elevator onto the street. She looked left and right, people walking everywhere, their stench filling her nose. From wearing Wall Street-like suits, to lazy blue striped pajamas, they all walked along the sidewalk nonetheless.

_The howl._ She worried that the Elder Wolves had found out that one of their best fighters, Khalil, was dead. And dead by another wolf. The bites and claw marks would make that obvious.

 

_Or maybe Angela hid the body,_ Fareeha wondered. No, the doc wouldn’t do that. _But she did bring me to her apartment._

 

A car horn brought her out of her thoughts, and she dashed again to the direction of where the howl came from.

 

Trying her best to avoid passersby, she moved through the street with some difficulty. At this time in the morning, most people would be out to work.

 

Street after street she went, and she thinks five minutes have past until she saw the outlines of a forest past a street.

 

That was her destination.

 

Once she hit the trees and was covered safely by them so humans wouldn’t be able to see her, she took off her clothes and folded it on dry grass, beside an old birch tree.

 

Then she Shifted, the green of trees becoming more defined in her wolf vision. She saw each tiny organism on each green leaf, she saw literal _light_ reflect off of the plants.

 

She smelled the Earth-ish smell of the brown moss below her, the oxygen coming off of the trees, and the sap that oozed out of many trees.

 

But what she smelled the most was-

 

_Angela?_

 

Fareeha felt some sort of hope bloom through her, and she looked back at where she’d come from, but all she could see was the dark green of evergreen trees and Angela’s clothes on the grass.

 

Ah, so the scent has come from her clothes. Fareeha’s shoulders dropped in lieu of bashing her hope. She wondered why this was happening, why she wanted to see Angela.

 

_Maybe it’s because I’m Bo-_

 

_Bo-_

 

_Bon-_

 

_Bonded_

 

_Bonded with_ her.

 

Fareeha shook off the thought, and only now she was aware of the tugging on her gut, the tugging that led to the direction of Angela’s apartment. The tug was a result of Bonding, Fareeha knew, but she needed to ask someone about it now that she was actually Bonded.

 

Another howl ripped through the air, but this time it was deep and more sustained. Fareeha cringed and whimpered a little. That was the howl of the utmost Alpha, the lead Elder. That meant that this meeting was mandatory for all wolves.

 

She dug her nails into the ground and sprinted to the sound, the organisms on the leaves and the trees themselves all becoming a green haze.

  
  
  
  


She was nearing the meeting place in a clearing of the forest, which the other wolves called the Den. She already heard yipping and low growls even before she reached it, so she called out tentatively with her mind.

 

_Guys?_

 

Once she made that neural connection to the other wolves, her head was suddenly filled with angry voices of arguing.

 

_Wage war against the Angels? When?_

 

_I think the more important question to that, Lena, is why._

 

_We must lose the Angel scum!_

 

_They haven’t done anything to us!_

 

_But it is our prophecy to do so!_

 

_What of the treaty, then?_

 

_Aye, Fareeha!_

 

She entered the clearing. Bundles of fur were everywhere on the clearing, paws covering almost every inch of grass. Evergreen trees surrounded the glade, and there was a cliff on the other side where the Elders or Alphas can stand on.

 

The cliff was kind of like the cliff in The Lion King, but this time, it would be the Wolf King.

 

_Bad joke Fareeha,_ she thought to herself.

 

_What joke?_ Another voice said in her mind. A very familiar looking wolf approached her, a russet brown one with silky fur and-

 

_LOSE THE COWBOY HAT, JESSE! You’re in wolf form!_

 

The russet wolf’s eyes went up to its hat, and it dipped its head, a curl on its mouth.

 

_Kid, this hat’s like my life force._

 

_You can’t call me kid if you’re wearing that thing!_

 

_I think I can, kid._

 

_Lose. The. Hat._

 

Jesse’s head dipped a little further, and Fareeha felt one of his emotions. Confusion.

 

_But I mean, kid, this won’t get in the way of battle._

 

_Yes it will! If anything, it’ll make the whole damn pack die from embarrassment before we even step one foot on the battlefield._

 

_Nah, I think you’re overreacting, kid._

 

_AWHOOOO!_

 

Another howl ripped through the morning air, shutting up all the other wolves in their respective conversations. Fareeha felt a smug look from Jesse, she glared back, and turned her attention to the jagged cliff, where now a humongous black wolf stood in attention. It was probably just a quarter bigger than Fareeha’s wolf size, but it was menacing nonetheless.

 

_Neural connections are a gift to us given by… You know who. I hope the lot of you don’t abuse it._ The wolf thought, connecting with everyone’s brain in order for them to hear his thoughts.

 

The other wolves snorted and pawed the ground in embarrassment. Fareeha also felt some sort of embarrassment, being called out by the Alpha, but she stood tall.

 

The Alpha Gabriel. Known to have fought many battles, and one to sign the Peace Treaty, he was well known throughout the lycanthropes. Legend says that he was an Archangel turned wolf, _by request._

 

Legend says that he was an Archangel who had no duties, lying around on Earth useless. No one really knew why, but he captured a lone wolf and asked him, begged him, to change him. The wolf obliged and well, the rest is history.

 

_As you can probably hear, the Elders are calling to arms. They reckon that it is time that we fulfill our prophecies._ Gabriel announced, and he got grunts and nods of approval from the wolves.

 

Fareeha, though, was puzzled, as well as a few select minds in the crowd, including Jesse.

 

_Why though?_ Jesse thought out loud, and the wolves around Fareeha and Jesse instantly hissed at him. Jesse stared daggers back, unmoving in his opinion.

 

_They haven’t been doing anything to us in the past couple of years, ever since the signing of the Peace Treaty. The only times they’ve been actually hurting us was if we crossed the line of the Treaty._ He continued. Fareeha only nodded in agreement. He was right. She saw no point to their actions now, out of all times.

 

Gabriel, now sitting on his haunches on the cliff, just shook his head.

 

_The prophecy is long overdue, McCree. We have to fulfill it-_

 

_But why?_ This time it was Fareeha who thought out loud.

 

  _With all due respect sir, but why now out of all times? We are at peace with them, as they are with us. They enforce the Treaty against us, and we do them. It doesn’t make sense to just, y’know, attack them._

 

Fareeha then felt an emotion of amusement from Gabriel. She shuddered. She knew what was coming next.

 

_Fareeha Amari, the daughter of the great Ana Amari, bearer of Raptora._ He addressed her, and she couldn’t help but growl at the mention of her mother’s name.

 

He called her mother great. Sure, to the other wolves, but to Fareeha, she was everything but. Her mother disappeared once Fareeha had started getting involved in more wolfy matters, such as getting into a pack and attending Council meetings.

 

No one knew why the great Ana Amari just disappeared, but most of the Elders have presumed her dead. Fareeha knew otherwise. Her mother _couldn’t_ die. She couldn’t have, not like this. She would’ve died in a great battle, serving the Council. Not somewhere out in the city, alone, where no one would see her lifeless. No, she wasn’t dead.

 

So what was she doing? She just, what, _ditched_ Fareeha? Ditched Fareeha and her duties to the pack?

 

_Your mother was always a rebel. Like mother, like daughter._ Gabriel chuckled lowly, and Fareeha growled once more.

 

_Just answer my question, Gabe._

 

Jesse gasped beside her, along with other wolves at the use of his nickname.

 

_You’re playing with fire, kid,_ the russet wolf thought to her privately.

 

All Gabriel did was laugh.

 

_Straightforward. Very well then, I shall have a member of the Council answer your question._

 

The black wolf stepped back, and another appeared at the top of the cliff. It’s fur was light gray, obvious lines of age under its eyes despite its wolf form, and Fareeha let out a whine of surprise to be in the presence of such an Elder.

 

_Touken Reila,_ she recalled, _known to have fought in the one Great War between the Angels and the Wolves, the one who has met Satan himself One who carries words of wisdom and power with him. The bearer of the power of Mind Manipulation._

 

Jesse beside her dipped his head in a sort of half-bow, and Fareeha did the same. Soon, all the other wolves were doing the same thing to respect the Elder wolf.

 

_Amari._ Touken thought out to her. Her fur bristled in nervousness.

 

_Supreme Elder Touken,_ she addressed back. He nodded to her in lieu of respect.

 

_This goes out to all of you, not only for Amari. I-_

 

Gabriel, who was behind the Supreme Elder, stiffened, and Fareeha felt an aura of fear around him. Being the closest to the Elder, he must have heard the thoughts out of the elder first.

 

_I have received a message from our Creator himself. We… we must eradicate all of the Angels in the time frame of five years, or else we ourselves will be eradicated by him._ The Elder announced, and the Den was suddenly filled with whines, growling, and whimpers, the emotion of fear swirling all around. The Elder continued nonetheless.

 

_If we do not successfully execute all of the Archangels, we will be turned into ‘mindless, ruthless creatures’ by our Creator. He thinks we do not have much use in this world anymore, and so he believes that our bodies are therefore rendered useless._

 

_So he’ll just turn us into zombies?_ A wolf, that Fareeha knew as Jamison, mused.

 

_Technically, yes, in more common terms,_ Gabriel confirmed, stepping out from behind the Supreme Elder.

 

_So we gotta start right away then?_

 

_Yes. There are a lot of Angels out there right now, and our first target better be their offspring._

 

_So we kill innocent ‘lil cuddies?_

 

_Wha- yes, we kill innocent- uh, ‘cuddies’._

 

Gabriel sat back on his haunches beside the Elder, despite the Elder still standing straight and tall.

 

_We plan to hit them tomorrow, so we don’t waste any time. Today, we will contact all of our fellow wolf packs around the world and tell them of this prophecy, if they have not heard it already from their Supreme Elder._

 

_And where will these- er, ‘cuddies’ be?_ Jesse asked.

 

_We’ll start at the Archangel’s medical wing. They must keep their newborns there, at least, the newborns who would be devoted entirely to Archangel duties,_ Gabriel answered nonchalantly.

 

Fareeha still felt a twinge of anger inside of her. Why did they have to kill the Archangels? Well, yes, so that they won’t die, but their ‘Creator’ essentially left them in the dust a century ago. He left the lycanthropes to grope around the world on their own, giving them no sort of insight on what exactly they were supposed to do.

 

Sure, they were wolves, and they had to oppose the Angels’ God and his creations. The Archangels had to do the same. But the ‘Creator’ just left their instructions at that and dumped the first wolves onto the Earth. The first wolves actually killed Angels, and wars were waged in the few centuries after that. But once time had past, the motivation to do so wasn’t as great anymore, the events of the wars between wolves, vampires and Angels becoming legends in the passing of time.

 

Well, Fareeha thinking this way might’ve just proven their ‘Creator’s’ suspicions, that the wolves were becoming more useless in their jobs. But still, she saw no point in killing ‘’lil cuddies’.

 

_What even are cuddies?_ She thought out loud, forgetting that she was still on a neural connection with the rest of the wolves in the Den.

 

The Den erupted in uproarious laughter, filling pitches high and low. Jesse beside her was bawling on the ground, and Jamison was emitting a sort of embarrassed aura. Gabriel at the top of the cliff was chuckling to himself as well, and the Supreme Elder Touken had a ghost of a smile plastered on his face.

 

If Fareeha could blush in wolf form, she was definately doing so.

 

_HAHAHA- Fareeha you’re a riot!_ Jesse told her from beside her, looking up at her on the ground. She glanced back, and raised a wolfy eyebrow.

 

_What? I’m just speaking for everyone else here who isn’t a ‘matey’._ She replied, and the Den burst in yet another round of wolfy laughs. Jamison just grumbled under his breath.

 

After a few minutes have passed with chuckles still radiating around the glade, the Supreme Elder launched a feeling of superiority, making everyone shut up.

 

_Planning in the Council will commence. You will be briefed later in the afternoon. You are dismissed, for now,_ Gabriel announced. The wolves all grunted their admission, and the crowd in the Den started dispersing.

 

Fareeha herself was about to turn on her heels to leave but a whine behind her interrupted her. She looked behind her and saw Supreme Elder Touken staring at her with his faded yellow eyes.

 

_Amari. May I speak with you?_ The Elder asked, his voice sounding calming but with a hint of command.

 

_O-of course, Supreme Elder,_ Fareeha stuttered. She wondered how the heck she could stutter _in her thoughts._

 

The Elder turned on his heel and started walking towards where the Council meetings were supposed to be held, beyond the jagged cliff.

 

Fareeha reluctantly followed. She had to admit, she was scared, because she knew the Elders were all for business. If they wanted to ‘talk to you,’ that meant you were in for trouble.

 

The Elder stopped below the jagged cliff, and Fareeha was confused. Weren't meetings supposed to be held in the Council place?

 

He turned to her, a look of authority in in his eyes, and she tried not to sink to the ground under it.

 

_Amari. There's something very important I’d like to discuss with you. Khalil, one of our greatest fighters, has gone missing, and we dearly need him so for the war of eradicating the Angels._

 

Fareeha nodded, but she was slowly starting to feel a knot tie in her stomach.

 

_He has been gone for a few days now, and I do not feel any neural connections coming from him. Alas, my first thought was that he went out of the territory for a while._

 

The Elder padded closer to her, and sniffed her. Fareeha stiffened. This is bad, really bad, she thought.

 

_But my theory is proved wrong, because he has his scent all over you. Can you tell me, young pup, where he is?_ The Elder continued sniffing her while Fareeha racked her brain trying to think of a lie.

 

_I-uh, well, you see, I haven't actually-_

 

The Elder abruptly growled, and Fareeha couldn't help but whine. She's dead for sure _._

 

_And not only do you have his scent, Amari,_ he sounded like he spat her last name, only in his thoughts.

 

_You have the scent of an ARCHANGEL ON YOU!!!_

 

Fareeha's eyes widened, and she heard a low growl coming from deep within her own throat. Her, with an Angel?

  
_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your support guys!
> 
> Sorry again for the kind of cliffhanger, I'm just a mean person :p
> 
> I'll try to post chapters every Saturday or earlier


	3. Unusual Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet once again.

Angela’s five minutes of peace turned into ten, then twenty, then thirty. She was too busy

relishing the warmth from the couch, and adding on her own.

She didn’t care look at the clock, she just needed to ‘rest’. She said ‘rest’ in her mind, but she knew that she was indulging in her own vices, which was in this case, Fareeha, or her warmth, rather.

After an hour has past, she opened her eyes groggily. She had to get to work, even though she was tremendously late.

_ Late is better than never, after all. _

She stood up reluctantly from the couch, and picked up her phone. No later than when she had pressed the lock button, a call from Lena Oxton appeared.

Lena was one of Angela’s good friends since childhood. She was always there to pick Angela up when she was feeling down with her ecstatic personality, especially when Angela’s parents died from a lycanthrope attack. Lena even went so far as to work at the coffee shop at Angela’s hospital so she could always be there for support.

Angela sighed, and prepared her ears for the high-pitched British slang that was about to come. She tapped the green phone icon and held the phone to her ear.

“Hello-“ Angela started but was soon interrupted by the Brit’s squeal.

“Ange-luv!” The Brit squealed again and Angela sighed at her uncanny nickname.

“Ange _ lena _ . What kind of annoyance do have to offer now?”

Angela could practically feel the other woman’s pout on the other side.

“Angelina? That sounds like our ship name, Angie! And-“ Her voice dropped down to a tiny squeak. “-am I really that annoying?”

Angela laughed.

“Yes. Now why did you call me? I have to go to work! I’m late!”

“Oh? The uptight doctor is  _ late for work?  _ What a surprise! I wonder what was the distraction-“

Before Angela could respond, the Brit gasped loudly.

“ _ Or who!” _

Angela wanted to smack the grin that was no doubt on Lena’s face right now.

“It’s not like that-“

“OH PISH POSH! Hey guys-“ Lena addressed people who were not on the phone, probably her co-workers.

“Angela’s got a luv!”

Angela heard squeals and what sounded like coffee mugs hitting the floor.

“You can’t be serious!” Another high-pitched voice exclaimed.

“Aw, shucks man, I ain’t got no chance now!” A man’s voice commented. Angela stifled back a laugh. She doesn’t even know Lena’s co-workers, how could he ‘have a chance; with her?

“Who’s got a love?” Someone from the other line asked with a very familiar Egyptian accent. Angela’s eyes widened.

“You know Angela, the-“

“The gorgeous doctor. Ah, yes, I think we’ve met before,” The rich Egyptian timbre replied.

There was silence on the other line, which gave Angela time to decipher that Egyptian accent on the other line. A few long seconds have passed before Lena spoke.

“ _ Blimey.”  _ The Brit finally sighed.

 

“Excuse me?” Angela asked, confused.

“BLOODY ‘ELL ANGIE, YOU IN WITH FAREEHA?” Lena suddenly screamed and Angela sputtered. 

“Ah- no, no it’s not- ah” She tried to defend herself but stopped when she heard another voice on the other line trying to defend themselves as well.

“Lena, it’s- well, we’re not-“

“COR! It  _ is  _ true!” Angela could hear Lena practically  _ melting  _ on the phone.

“OXTON! BACK TO WORK!” A deep voice called. Lena whimpered.

“Angie, we  _ need  _ to talk about this after work, yeah? See you in a while.”

And then the call ended at that. Angela suddenly ran to her room to get changed in a sense of urgency.

_ Fareeha? At the hospital? _ She shook her head and attempted to slowly put on her blouse, her hands shaking with excitement. 

She then realized she hadn’t showered yet, Fareeha distracted her from her duties in the morning.

_ Oh my God. Lena really hit it right on the nose,  _ she thought, and she hastily waddled to the washroom.

 

________________

 

_ Thirty minutes before. _

 

 

Fareeha felt a low growl coming from her throat.

_ An Angel? On me? _

_ Yes,  _ the Elder growled, and crouched low on the ground.  _ Amari, are you betraying us? _

_ No! I would never!  _ Fareeha defended herself.  _ If anything, I might’ve bumped into one on the street. _

_ But the scent is heavy! You must have spent a lot of time with them. _

Fareeha took a minute to try to think who she had spent a lot of time with. 

She let out a whimper. She did spend a lot of time with a certain blonde with big blue eyes...

_ Angela,  _ she realized, and she quickly backtracked when the Elder growled.

_ Angela?! You  _ do  _ know an Angel! You  _ are  _ in ties with the scum! _

_ NO!  _ Fareeha realized her tone of thought, and she tried to respectfully address the Elder properly.

_ Supreme Elder. _

The Elder nodded at his title, and Fareeha continued with her explanation.

_ Jesse McCree took me to the hospital after a practice with two pups went out of hand. I had to stop them myself, as they got very competitive, but their parents wanted them to continue. So I fought them, the parents I mean. I tried not to hurt them, but they kept on attacking me so I injured them enough to stop their attacks. _

_ And who is this Angela? _

_ The doctor who treated me.  _ Fareeha said truthfully, and she let out a sigh of relief once the Elder’s emotion of anger subsided.

_ Did you know that she was an Angel?  _

_ No, sir. _

_ Supreme Elder!  _ Another wolf thought out. Fareeha look around her and saw Gabriel padding towards them.

_ Council meeting’s about to start. We must go,  _ he thought. The Elder nodded his head, and looked at Fareeha once more, before sighing and shaking his head.

_ Amari. We will talk later.  _

The Supreme Elder followed Gabriel out of the shadow of the cliff, and they headed towards the Council meeting place.

Without another word, Fareeha turned on her heel and dashed to the trees. Once she had ran for a significant amount of time, she let out another sigh of relief, not worrying about anyone hearing her. The Elder forgot to ask her about Khalil, being distracted by the topic of Angela, and then being called to the meeting by Gabriel.

_ Angela,  _ she thought, and she shook her head.  _ An Archangel? But she was okay with treating me… _

She’d have to ask the other woman about that the next time they met. Fareeha didn’t view Angela as a threat though. Being an Archangel wouldn’t change the gorgeous doctor. 

_ Maybe she isn’t even an Angel, and one of the other nurses that treated me is,  _ she thought. She shook off the thought and sprinted faster.

Once again, she saw the green of trees blur past, and she head soft yips from beyond the forest. She soon saw the pile of Angela’s clothes on the ground beside the old Birch tree, and she was about to Shift when she heard another voice in her head.

_ Hey luv, care to come to work with me today? I’m sure we’ll need an extra hand! _

Fareeha looked behind her and she saw petite-sized a wolf with hazelnut fur, and instead of the standard gold wolf eyes, it had brown ones that matched its fur.

_ Lena- _

_ Ah, ah, ah! You can’t say no! You owe me a favour for taking care of the Council’s wrath after you injured those two bollywocks, right? _

Fareeha then laughed, her throat emitting out a wolfy chuckle.

_ Bollywocks. Right.  _

Lena then walked up to her and smacked her lightly on her side with a paw. Fareeha winced slightly, because her side was still injured.

_ You still owe me. _

_ Why do you need me at the shop anyway? _

_ You were  _ supposed  _ to work at the store, but they just gave you up ‘cuz you pulled out your ‘Ana Amari’s daughter’ card.  _

Lena quirked an eyebrow.

_ Also, I need the company.  _ Lena continued, and then proceeded to quirk the other eyebrow. Fareeha tried not to cringe.

_ Hey! You know how weird it’ll be working in a coffee shop full of werewolves? _

Lena just stared at her with those big, brown eyes.

_ And if that isn’t weird enough, the name if the coffee shop is  _ The Full Moon,  _ for goodness’ sake!  _ Fareeha added. Lena whined.

_ Hey! That’s actually a pretty good name! _

_ And who thought of it? _

Lena then dipped her head and pawed at the ground in embarrassment. 

_ Yeah, I thought so, _ Fareeha concluded. She turned around and headed towards her clothes, but then she heard a whimper. She looked back at the brown wolf with a sigh.

Lena was doing a ridiculous pout, and she widened her eyes enough to look like a cute puppy. Her muzzle was pulled down, her ears were flattened against her skull, and she sat on her haunches.

Fareeha sighed.

_ Fine! Fine! Just promise to never do that dumb look again, though. _

Lena then stood from her sitting position, her tail wagging wildly.

_ Okay! _

 

 

_ Present time. _

 

Angela was not Dr. Angela Ziegler today.

A hint of why Angela Ziegler was not Dr. Angela Ziegler today was in the car.

On select days, she turns the radio on. On very few days, she changes the radio station from the news station to one of the relaxing music stations. On rare occasions, she changes that relaxing music station to a soft rock station. On even rarer occasions, she changes the channel from the soft rock station to a pop music station. 

But never in the history of Dr. Angela Ziegler, had she started singing along to the songs.

“IIIIII’M! GONNA SWIIIIIIING! FROM A CHANDELIEEEEEEEEER!” She sang, not minding the looks that passersby who witnessed the Angel singing gave. 

Angela was in an especially good mood today, despite her attempted assassination earlier in the day. 

_ At least I had Fareeha to protect me,  _ she thought, and she paused in her especially-high note to giggle.

“CHANDELIEEEEEER!” She continued, singing louder as she was stuck at a red light, and the car beside her honked. She snapped out of her childish high to look to her left, where the honk was.

The driver driving the red pickup truck to her left grinned when they made eye contact, and he gave her a thumbs up. Angela blushed and smiled shyly.

The red light then turned into a green light, and Angela and the other driver went their separate ways.

A few more songs have played, and a few more songs Angela had sung passed before she arrived at the hospital.

She reluctantly turned off the radio, and stepped out of her Buick, the breeze blowing in her face. She closed her eyes and lifted her chin as if she was in a movie set in the plains, with wind blowing at her blonde hair.

But she was here, acting foolish at the Alexandria Hospital parking lot. Angela sighed, and walked to the front doors.

Once she walked past the automatic doors, she was hit with the smell of coffee. Angela’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.

_ The Full Moon is on the first floor!  _

She practically skipped towards the fuming smell of coffee. She totally forgot to make herself some coffee this morning ( _ because of Fareeha, of course _ , she thought giddily) and now was as a good time as ever to get a cup.

People passed by the happy doctor, grumbling angrily on their phones or with a smile on their face with the news of a new part of their family. Angela didn’t care. 

People asked her about her activities the day before, if their family members were alright. She smiled and winked at them. Angela didn’t care. She skipped past them nonetheless. 

Soon, she found herself approaching a hole-in-the-wall kind of coffee shop, the words  _ The Full Moon  _ glowing bright neon blue. At the counter was a very smug-looking Lena, smirking at her. Angela raised an eyebrow at the woman, and Lena sighed and pointed to her left, where a very familiar barista was working the coffee maker.

Angela couldn’t help but feel her jaw drop at the hulking Egyptian.

Fareeha was wearing a black apron on top of Angela’s sleeveless tee, which made her arm muscles more prominent. Her hair ornaments glistened gold by the reflection of the sunshine streaming in through the windows, and the sunshine streaming in from the hospital windows also made her dark brown eyes look softer. 

Angela gasped as the other woman lifted a coffee pot onto the coffee maker, her muscles bulging. Then Fareeha noticed her and smiled dopily at her from ear to ear, and made a stupid kind of wave.

That dopey smile was the same as the smile she gave her when she said the pickup line to Angela. Remembering the memory, Angela blushed, feeling lucky to have caught the eye of the Egyptian, enough to make her say a pickup line to her.

Angela heard someone clear their throat  _ very  _ loudly, and she glanced at Lena with a questioning look. Lena stared back with a glint in her eyes, and she smoothed back her wild short hair and made a gesture for Angela to come to the counter.

Angela walked to the counter, all the while looking the other way and staring at Fareeha.

_ “Oof!”  _ She felt pressure on her abdomen, and she broke out of her staring to see where the pressure had come from. She’d been so busy staring at Fareeha, she hit the counter! Lena cleared her throat again, and Angela glared at her.

“May I take your order,  _ Mrs. Amari?”  _ Lena said, a huge grin on her face, no doubt trying to stifle a laugh.

Angela swatted the Brit’s arm, for fear that Fareeha might’ve heard. Lena smirked and leaned in towards Angela to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t worry, luv! She’s too busy thinking about you to hear us,” Lena said in broken phrases with giggles in between. Angela swatted her arm again, and glanced worriedly towards the Egyptian.

Whatever Lena said, it  _ was  _ true. Fareeha was carrying three cups of coffee, and balancing four plates of muffins on her arms. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and Angela couldn’t help but giggle at the other woman’s antics.

Lena suddenly stepped aside from the counter to accommodate a bearded man with a cowboy hat on- who looked strangely similar to the man who she met in the hospital yesterday who thought he had a heart disease, sans the cowboy hat.

“Ah, so ‘tis the lady who got ‘lil ‘Reeha wrapped around her finger,” the man said, his voice a little husky and sporting a Southern accent. 

“Jus’ a ‘lil warning, honey, she’s a pureheart, but she goes  _ waaaaay  _ overboard with anything that gotta do with ‘er lovies.” The man tipped his hat, and Angela blushed, noticing that the man called her a love of Fareeha.

“On actual business here, what is yer order?”

Angela ordered, and she moved to the other end of the counter to wait. She spent her time watching Fareeha move surely around the coffee shop, serving orders to the other customers who were before Angela.

Angela snickered. The other woman had not noticed her move positions yet, and she planned to make sure that when she did, it was as much of a surprise as when she heard Fareeha on the phone.

Once she saw that Fareeha was making her order, she slinked out of the shadow of the wall and walked up to the counter with a smug grin on her face.

Fareeha walked to the counter while concentrating on balancing two plates on her arms and Angela’s coffee in the other.

“Uh, two breakfast scones and a medium coffee?” She then put the plates on the counter, and looked up all to see a smirking Angel.

Her eyes widened, and so did Angela’s smirk.

“Oh, uh, well-” Fareeha stammered. “W-what a surprise seeing you here, doctor.”

“And what a surprise seeing  _ you,  _ Fareeha.”

Angela’s phone buzzed in her purse, and she knew it was from Marie probably telling her that she needed to go to work. She sighed, looked apologetically at Fareeha, and took her order.

“Oh- hold on doc, can we speak after your shift?” Fareeha asked her, her soft brown eyes boring into Angela’s own.

Angela nodded while concentrating on carrying her own plates, and she smiled at Fareeha. The other woman seemed to turn several deeper shades of red.

 

___________

 

Fareeha sighed once she saw the doctor walk away out of earshot, and once she did so, she heard several giggles from behind her back.

“Lena!”

She looked behind her, and of course the Brit was laughing at her, as well as the stupid cowboy beside her.

“‘Lil F’reeha’s in  _ looooove _ !” Jesse swooned, and he and Lena laughed even harder. Fareeha just sighed once more and continued to make more cups of coffee when she realized she needed to ask Jesse about Bonding, since he was already Bonded.

“Hey, Jess, need to talk to you in the back,” she tried to say coolly, and she looked to the cowboy where he was gaping at her and Lena was snickering at him.

“Ooh, little cowboy’s in trouble!” Lena grinned. Jesse smacked her on the head and indicated to Fareeha that he was going to comply. Fareeha took off her gloves and made her way to the back room with Jesse on her metaphorical tail.

She pushed the wooden swing door open, and ushered Jesse inside.

“Ladies first,” she said, and mockingly pretended to tip her invisible hat. Jesse just sighed.

There was just a steel table in the middle of the concrete room with steel lockers surrounding it in the back room. It looked like the room was made of silver, but that wasn’t really recommended for werewolves, silver being their weakness. The employees of  _ The Full Moon  _ just used this area for meetings and to store their belongings, and their boss, Gabriel, had his office on the right side of the room, slightly covered by the lockers, a steel door separating his office to the common room.

Jesse got settled in one of the steel chairs and Fareeha did the same in the chair across from him. 

“I swear, kiddo, what’er I said back there was a joke, promise!” The cowboy whimpered, folding his hands on the steel table. Fareha held back a smirk.

“No, this isn’t about that. I mean, what you said back there isn’t entirely  _ not  _ true…” Fareeha trailed off as she saw a glint form in Jesse’s eyes.

Jesse smirked knowingly, and Fareeha knew that he had already figured out why she called him.

“Well, I’ll be, Fareeha. Never thought you’d be Bonded ‘til you were like…” Jesse tilted his head up to the ceiling in thought. “Like… never?”

“Hey! I’m not that hopeless!”

“Riiiight…”

“Remember when we always used to go to your bars?” Fareeha stopped it at that because she knew that the other man knew what she meant. 

Jesse noticeably stiffened, and she let out a small victory grin.  _ Right on the money. _

“Well… We never knew if you were payin’ those poor girls or somethin’-”

“Oh  _ please,  _ Jesse. We all know what I was capable of before.”

Jesse huffed.

“Movin’ on, kid. We’re movin’ on ‘ere.” He said, defeated. Fareeha grinned even wider. Then she remembered the events of the day, what with the gorgeous doctor visiting her at the cafe.

“Um, well what I meant to ask you was about this tugging feeling in my gut whenever Angela isn’t around,” she said, and this time it was Jesse’s turn to grin.

“That tuggin’ ain’t unusual, kid. It’s a result of Bonding, you should know that much.” The cowboy said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a cigar. Fareeha frowned at the act, and he cocked his head to her.

“What? I ain’t gon’ light it.”

Fareeha scoffed.

“Sure, cowboy.” 

Jesse waved his hand at her as if to shoo her away, and he stuck the cigar in between his teeth. 

“The tuggin’ is part of us wolves when we Bond. I think the other person feels it too, but not as much as us. Because of our  _ wolfy  _ instincts, the tug is for us to always protect the other person… I think. The tug tells us where the other person is at all times. You should feel it now, but if you ain’t, just focus. Bet you can tell me what floor the doc’s workin’ on.”

Fareeha closed her eyes and felt that tugging in her gut. She felt it for a little longer, until-

“Fourth floor, she’s in the farthest room to the right.” She said, and opened her eyes to a smug-looking Jesse.

“Atta girl. Now, I bet you we gotta go back to work ‘fore Gabriel freaks-”

“Too late.” A deep voice uttered.

Fareeha and Jesse both turned simultaneously 

 A man emerged from the silver steel side door hidden by the lockers, which Lena had dubbed ‘Edgelord Office.”

“Scram, or you’ll be closing for the whole week.”

Jesse flinched and inched his way out of the room, while Fareeha laughed at her friend’s fear for the Alpha. She slapped his back which made him topple forward, and he glared up at her from the ground.

“I also sense an idiot cowboy on the ground,” she remarked with a smirk, and she got a good-natured smack on her leg. Jesse stood up, straightened his hat, and refused to look at Fareeha in the eye. She glanced at Gabriel, who had his arms crossed and had an eyebrow raised, plus a smile.

Fareeha congratulated herself on making the Alpha smile. She exited the room and put on a smile as she addressed another customer.

 

____________

 

Angela went out of her office rubbing her temples. Today was a busy day, much in contrast to the day before.  

_ The day before. Was it a day already?  _ A day after she had met a very unusual patient, with an even more unusual injury. 

At the reminder of Fareeha, Angela stopped rubbing at her temples and the haggard line her mouth was drawn to curved into a small smile. Then, right once the smile had formed, it disappeared.

_ Mein gott! She wanted to meet with me!  _ Angela cursed herself for almost forgetting and she dashed to the elevator.

The same ritual of people asking her how their family members were repeated, and all she did was grin widely at them. They took that as good news.

She passed a confused Marie, who grabbed her by the arm, stopping her abruptly. Angela then glared at her, rubbing her arm.

“What?” She spat, and quickly glanced at her watch.

“Why in a rush? Usually the great Angela Ziegler walks out of her office all depressed!” Marie said. 

“Usually, Angela Ziegler doesn’t have to meet someone!” Angela practically yelled, then she clamped her mouth.  _ Here it comes. You brought this upon yourself, Angela, _

“Meeting someone?  _ Meeting someone?”  _ Marie squealed, and her eyes widened to twice its size. Marie then waggled her eyebrows at her.

“I bet you it’s that Fareeha girl, right? Oh, Angela, you really are smitten!”

“Okay, okay! It  _ is  _ Fareeha, so in fact I need to go!” Angela admitted. She didn’t want the other girl to squabble some more. 

“Fine, lovergirl. Leave some for me!” Marie called as Angela wrenched her hand away from her and dashed to the direction of the elevator. She wondered what Marie had meant by that.

In a few minutes time, she was in front of The Full Moon, panting heavily. 

_ Dammit, Angela! You’re fourteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds late! _

_ No, Fareeha couldn’t have known about your schedule, so how could you be late? _

Angela closed her eyes and shook her head at the two sides fighting in her head. She opened them again to see a tan figure wiping down the tables, her arm muscles-

She scolded herself, and strode to the counter smoothly. She tried to tack on a sweet smile before making contact with the counter, but she didn’t need to fake it once the other woman grinned widely at her.

“Doctor Ziegler.”

“Angela,” Angela crossed her arms.

“Doctor-” Before Fareeha could finish, Angela fished out a pen from her pocket and flung it at her, but Fareeha just swung to one side and caught the pen with her right hand. 

Fareeha raised an eyebrow.

“Doctor, you dare try that on me? Do you even know who I am?”

“I’m sure I do, Fareeha.”

Fareeha smiled dopily at her, then she looked back at her unmoving hand which was supposed to be wiping the counter. She resumed her work.

“Just let me finish this up. I got in trouble earlier, so I guess this is my punishment…”

Fareeha trailed off as Angela gave her a devilish smirk.

“Naughty.”

“I hope it’s to your liking. Better get used to it in the future!” Fareeha laughed and headed to a room in the back of the hole-in-the-wall, leaving behind a very flustered-looking doctor.

It took several minutes for Angela to regain her composure. Luckily, Fareeha didn’t see the doctor straighten her back several times, take deep breaths, and try to hide the red blush that was slowly blooming on her face.

“Alright, doc, I got a place in mind…” Fareeha emerged from the back room. Angela couldn’t help but gape at the other woman for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

Fareeha had changed. She was now wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, and she gripped a leather jacket over her shoulders, while her other hand was putting on aviator sunglasses. She smiled at Angela, and it took everything Angela got to not faint then and there.

_ Fareeha… _

“We’ll head out once you stop ogling over me, doc.” The goddess in front of her remarked, lifting a part of the counter so she could exit.

Angela snapped out of it.

“Who said anything about me ogling  _ you?  _ I suspect it should be the other way around,” Angela smirked, and twirled around so her back faced Fareeha, trying to prove her point. She had no doubt that she felt a pair of eyes train on her back-

“...Damn… It’s  _ backless…”  _ Fareeha whispered under her breath, hoping the doctor didn’t hear. Oh, but Angela heard it, alright. She bit back a smile. The other woman wasn’t entirely subtle.

Fareeha clenched her jaw, and tried to wrench her gaze away from Angela’s back. 

“I got a place in mind to talk, you mind if we take my bike? I’m sure it’ll be a lot faster.” She said, walking alongside Angela as they headed towards the parking lot.

“A bike?  _ Faster?”  _ Angela questioned. Fareeha smirked knowingly as they passed through the automatic doors of the hospital.

“Yeah, a bike. That one,” Fareeha pointed to a parking space relatively close to the building, and all Angela could do was whisper a small  _ oh.  _

The bike was a sleek matte-black, and it had the words  _ Indian  _ printed on its side. Angela didn’t know much about motorcycles, but she figured by the size of the engine was that it was a very powerful one.

“You mean that kind of bike,” Angela said in a small voice, and she tried to ignore the look Fareeha gave her.

“What’s this? The-” Fareeha stuttered and it seemed like she was going to say something else but she stopped herself. “-the good doctor is scared of a little  _ vroom-vroom?” _

Angela punched her in the other arm, not caring about her force, knowing that the werewolf could easily shake it off.

“Just proves my point…”

Angela took that as a challenge, and she started walking towards the motorcycle with renewed urgency. Fareeha laughed behind her, and she ran to catch up with the doctor.

“Ah, ah, ah! That’s not my bike. It’s that one. The bike-bike.” Fareeha said pointing to a ratty old bicycle that was locked to a pole, and Angela couldn’t help but let disappointment show through her eyes. 

Fareeha guffawed loudly. “HA! Just kidding.  _ Now  _ you aren’t scared of some vroom-vroom?”

Angela tried to punch her again, but Fareeha sidestepped, reminding Angela that Fareeha was the black wolf with the glowing gold eyes.

“Thought you were supposed to be a pacifist, doc.”

Angela just waved her hand at her, and Fareeha led her to the bike, handing her a motorcycle helmet and donning one of her own.

“Wait a minute,” Angela said, frowning before putting on her helmet. Fareeha, who had already put on hers, looked to Angela with a worried look.

“Wuz wong?” Fareeha asked, her voice muffled by the helmet. Angela bit back a smile at the other woman’s voice.

“Why do you have two helmets if you didn’t know you’d have a passenger…”

Fareeha’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Well, you see, the thing is… I did know I’d have a passenger.”

Angela raised an eyebrow at her and smiled, relishing in the fact that the other woman had thought this day through down to this very moment. It was a bit unnerving, to know that she had played right into where Fareeha had wanted her to be, but Angela was fine with it. You could probably call it a mutual relationship.

Angela put on her helmet. Fareeha swung her legs around the motorcycle, and she gave her leather jacket to Angela. She looked back questioningly.

“It might get a little cold,” Fareeha said, and she smiled shyly.

“You thought this out, didn’t you?” Angela guessed.

“Maybe.”

She took the jacket anyway, and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was warm, very comfy, and also several sizes bigger than her.

“What about you then?” Angela asked while swinging her own legs around the motorcycle behind the other woman.

“Me? I’m used to riding Betty by now.”

“You named your motorcycle  _ Betty?”  _

“Maybe.” Fareeha answered again, and before Angela could respond, Fareeha kicked out the kickstand, started the engines, and revved forward.

Angela squealed in surprise, and instinctively wrapped her arms around Fareeha’s waist. She felt the other woman’s firm abdomen rise up and down repeatedly, and she realized Fareeha was laughing. She couldn’t help but smile herself.

_ Of course she thought this out too! _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Thanks for all the kudos and comments, they're all much appreciated!
> 
> So... much... fluff in this chapter. I can make the plot move faster if you want...
> 
> But for Now, the gayness is fine.


	4. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo. I suggest having Google translate at hand cuz Angela says one line in German, but I mean you can ignore it too for all the lazy peeps, I mean it's just one line.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The feeling was exhilarating.

Sure, the feeling of the wind blowing in her hair, and the rumble of the motorcycle’s engines were great, but what was even more extraordinary was the feeling of the doctor’s arms around her waist.

The feeling of  _ Angela’s  _ arms around her waist. It was amazing.

“AHAHAHAHAAH!” The Angel beside her laughed, and Fareeha couldn’t help but smile herself. The doctor was sure enjoying herself.

Fareeha winded through the slim streets with relative ease, and she looked warily to her right side where the sun was about to set. She cursed quietly and kicked the gear up a notch, making the Indian lurch forward. 

Fareeha then felt a tugging in her gut, and she smiled. She had an idea.

She suddenly grunted and pulled the front of the bike up to lift the front wheels, with only the back wheels supporting their weight, in a very impressive wheelie. Angela squealed and held on tighter to her waist, and she could feel the doctor place her head on Fareeha’s back in fear. Fareeha laughed to the sky, as if she were howling in wolf form. 

This was heaven.

“F-Feeha! Slo dun!” Angela cried out behind her, and Fareeha laughed again at the doctor’s flustered reaction. She complied, though, and slowly set the front wheels down.

Angela sighed in relief behind her.

_ “ _ _ Mein gott fareeha, du wirst der tod von mir sein!”  _ The doctor exclaimed. Fareeha couldn’t help but tilt her head at the other woman’s unfamiliar language.

“What was that, doc?” The pressure of the doctor’s head on her back increased.

“N-nothing you need to worry about,  _ mein liebling. _ ” Angela cursed softly to herself, and her head pushed in further in between Fareeha’s shoulder blades in embarrassment. Fareeha wondered what that was all about, but she didn’t complain about the increased contact.

They winded through city streets, the vintage streetlights turning on. The sky was not yet dark, but Fareeha wanted to get to her destination before it did.

Soon, they broke out of the city-lines and they were cruising alongside a cliff. To be more precise, there was a cliff on their left side, and a spectacular view of the clear blue ocean to their right, the sound of the waves a pleasant sound in comparison to Betty.

“Beautiful…” Angela sighed. Fareeha smiled, knowing that the doctor appreciated the view. She herself couldn’t appreciate the view because she was driving, but she turned her head to Angela despite the risk.

The other woman’s blonde bangs were hanging out of the helmet, slightly in view. Her bright blue eyes were accented nicely by the near-sunset, her gaze to the ocean was tantalizing, and her soft lips curved in a slight smile..

Fareeha had a thought that she wanted to be the ocean that Angela was looking at.

“Beautiful, indeed.” Fareeha said, and smirked knowing that the doctor was probably flustered under her helmet.

Fareeha turned her attention back to the road, turning through the challenging road with relative ease, while Angela admired the view of the ocean. At least, she thought she was.

(What Angela was really admiring was the physique of the woman that she was currently hugging onto. This was heaven, to her.)

Soon, the scenery on the right side changed to that of a wide beach, with the sunlight reflecting off of each grain of sand. There was no parking on the beach, so all Fareeha did was turn right and she drove right on the sand. Once they were deep enough on the sand to be far from the road, but also a safe distance from the sea, she killed the engine, dropped the kickstand, and swung her legs off the bike to help her Bonder.

_ My Bonder.  _ Fareeha smiled at the thought. If her days were all filled with feelings just like she was feeling now, she would live with Angela forever. Well, she’d live with Angela regardless of the feelings. They were Bonded, after all.

Fareeha held out her right hand to Angela, and Angela took it. When their hands met, it sent a jolt of electricity through Fareeha, and she was thankful for her helmet as it covered her blush.

Angela slid off of the bike, and took off her helmet.

_ No way…  _ Fareeha thought, and she gulped slowly.

_ She really is an Angel. _

As soon as Angela’s helmet went off, her golden hair blew in the wind, making Fareeha gape at the beautiful blonde. She closed her eyes as she took it off, but opened them soon after, looking at Fareeha. Her wondrous blue pupils searched in Fareeha’s eyes, then she smiled, glorious white teeth poking out of perfect lips.

Amazing.

“... Fareeha?” Angela asked, suddenly worried because all Fareeha did was stare at her. “Are you okay?”

Fareeha shook her head, shaking herself out of her thoughts.

“All good, Angela.” She responded, and continued to take off her own helmet. She smoothed back her black hair that was no doubt messy with helmet-head, and smiled softly at Angela.

Angela, who seemed to be in a stupor.

This time, it was Fareeha’s turn to shake the doctor back to reality. Angela smiled apologetically. 

“Sorry, just thinking,” the blonde said, and turned her back to Fareeha to look at the sea. Fareeha just grinned even wider, because she knew Angela felt the same feelings as she felt a few moments ago.

Fareeha walked on the beach, with her hands shoved in her pockets, and looked down as piles of sand enveloped her sneakers. She looked to Angela, who was busy taking off her red heels. Once the doctor took them off, she flung them at Fareeha with a wink, who caught them instinctively and clutched them tightly to her chest. Fareeha smiled at the doctor’s antics.

“I don’t know how long since I’ve been on a beach!” Angela exclaimed, as she dashed across the sand, giggling gleefully. Fareeha couldn’t hold back anymore, and with the doctor’s heels in tow, rushed towards her.

“Are you  _ shore  _ about that?” Fareeha asked with a grin, and Angela looked at her incredulously, trying hard to stifle a laugh.

_ Two can play this game,  _ she thought.

“Yes, I am sure!” Angela exclaimed. “Doctors have extensive memories, and I hope you aren’t such a  _ beach  _ about it!”

Fareeha let out a little snort. 

“Whatever you say, doc.”

“Call me Angela!” 

“Doctor Angela.” 

All Angela could do was stare at Fareeha, who was staring back with an eyebrow raised and a cocky grin. Unfortunately, Angela did not have a pen at hand.

“Oh right!” Fareeha yelled suddenly, and stopped walking along the sand.

“What?”

“Can you… uh, hand me my jacket?” Fareeha asked, and Angela blushed realizing that she still had Fareeha’s jacket on.

“Oh- oh right.”

Angela took off the jacket with what looked like reluctancy in her eyes, immediately missing its warmth as it left her shoulders. Fareeha took it, smiled, and knelt and lay her jacket on the sand. She then proceeded to lay on it, and put an arm behind her head as a makeshift pillow. 

“C’mere, we got a lot to talk about,” Fareeha said, and beckoned Angela to lay with her.

“I don’t think that’ll work!” Angela said, and laughed. Fareeha was confused, but then she looked beside her. There was no more room on the jacket for Angela. 

Fareeha snickered.

No room,  _ on the jacket.  _

“There’s plenty of room, doc!” Fareeha teased, and raised her free hand, signaling for the doc to go on top of her. She wasn’t expecting Angela to really do it, after all she was a-

“OOF!”

Angela had actually  _ plopped  _ right on her, and tucked her head underneath Fareeha’s chin. Of course, Fareeha wasn’t hurt, but it was a surprise, to have an Angel snuggled up like this against her.

Angela curled towards Fareeha, her arm reaching around her in a sort-of cuddle, and she knew that Angela was listening to her heartbeat because her eyes were closed and she had her ear pressed tightly to her chest.

“I guess there was room after all,” Angela said, and lifted her head a bit to bury her head deeper in the crook of Fareeha’s shoulder.

Fareeha chuckled, and she smiled as she watched the doctor’s head bob up and down along with her chest movements.

“Now that we’re more… comfortable,” Angela said, “What did you want to talk to me about,  _ schatz?” _

Fareeha lay her head back, looked at the sky, now dull orange due to the sunset, and listened to the sound of crashing waves on the shore. She was trying to think of a way to address the news to Angela. She sighed, and decided to just wing it.

“I know,” She said simply. Angela looked up to meet her eyes, those blue orbs boring into her own. Fareeha gulped. She just looked so  _ cute. _

“Know what?” Angela asked.

“I know-” Fareeha choked in her throat, but proceeded nonetheless. “I know you’re an  _ Angel- _ a”

It was kind of a stupid way to address the news to her, in a pun, but it was worth it.

Angela’s eyes widened, and she looked up at Fareeha, fear clear in her eyes.

“You-”

Fareeha placed her index finger on the doctor’s lips, silencing her. She smiled warmly, or at least she hoped she did.

“It’s okay. But I need to ask you why you decided to help me even though I’m… well, your supposed sworn enemy?”

Angela chuckled, and tried to subtly wipe a wetness that had formed in her eyes.

“Well, that’s quite easy. You protected me. Regardless of rank, or race, it’s the least I can do to reciprocate,” she said, and Fareeha blushed, not even knowing why she did. Maybe just knowing that the doctor really cared about her was enough to send her reeling into happiness.

“Glad to be of service, Angela.” Fareeha said. Angela raised an eyebrow.

“Well… that’s a first.”

“First…?” 

The doctor looked at her incredulously, a smile playing on her lips.

“You called me Angela!” 

Fareeha, having realized so, used the arm that she was using as a pillow to scratch the back of her head in embarrassment.

“Well- haven’t I called you that before?” She defended. Angela laughed and shook her head.

“No,  _ mein liebling,  _ you haven’t.”

“What does  _ mine lie-bling  _ mean?” Fareeha wondered out loud. Angela quickly clasped her mouth. The word had escaped without her knowing it!

“Ah- ah it’s nothing,  _ schatz.”  _ Angela’s eyes widened again, having another German word flee from her mouth. Was this the second time that this happened?  _ Idiot, idiot, idiot,  _ Angela thought.

Fareeha did wonder what the word meant. She vowed to search it up in Google later.  _ Turns out Google’s my only wingman for this German Angel,  _ she chuckled to herself.  _ Or winggirl. You never know.  _

“Say, doc-” Fareeha said, making sure to use ‘doctor’ instead of her proper name just to piss the doctor off, “you have wings, right?”

Angela’s face went red from the angle in which Fareeha could see, and she twiddled her fingers.

“Ah, well, our kind do have wings, it’s just we only use it for emergencies.” Angela explained, her fingers stilling.

“Oh. I see. Or, I actually  _ don’t,  _ rather, seeing that you don’t have any.”

“Oh, shush.”

Fareeha smiled, giving herself a point on her imaginary scoreboard of how much she flustered the doctor. 

_ Fareeha: I don’t even know, probably less than ten. Angela: OH GOD PROBABLY OVER 9000. _

They then fell into a comfortable silence, the sound of waves crashing on the shore the only sound that Fareeha heard. She felt herself nodding off, but instead of sleeping, she concentrated on the weight that was currently on her chest and the tuft of titanium blonde hair that was tucked under her chin. She smiled, lifted the arm that was wrapped around Angela’s waist and absentmindedly combed through the Angel’s hair. She wondered if the doctor minded her actions, but since she was showing no signs of stopping her, Fareeha kept stroking her hair.

Angela, on the other hand, felt her heart thumping rapidly, at speeds that shouldn’t have been achieved as the other woman lovingly combed through her hair. She hoped Fareeha wouldn’t feel her heartbeat through her chest, and instead focused on the  _ other  _ heartbeat that she was hearing, its steady  _ buh-thump  _ slowly lulling her to sleep.

Soon, she heard light snores from Angela, and Fareeha lay her head back, satisfied that she had provided some sort of comfort as a human pillow for the doctor. She closed her eyes and slowly dozed off, a permanent smile etched on her face.

 

___________

 

_ It was war. _

_ Reinhardt was to her left, talking angrily to the famous Jack Morrison, the leader of the Archangels in this region. From what Angela heard, werewolves and vampires alike were both marching to the Angel camp. Their numbers ranged from the hundreds to the thousands.  _

_ “They’re out for blood, Wilhelm!” Jack yelled angrily. _

_ “But do we look like we’re in a condition to fight, Jack? Look at us,” Reinhardt shot back, and he pointed to the white tents that were scattered throughout the forest clearing of the camp, the long sticks that they were propped up on poking out of the white canvas, while several armor-clad Angels walked lazily around them. _

_ All of the Archangels wore a relatively simple white robe, similar to that of a Greek chiton. All of them had a rope belt wrapped around the waist, and some had laurels crowned on their head, depending on role and rank. You could say even say that this was their uniform. _

_ Angela herself had a golden laurel around her head, with a charm resembling wings hanging on a short chain on the front of it. Her family’s emblem. _

_ Reinhardt wore a laurel made of wood, and he had a charm of a small hammer on his, while Jack’s laurel just had a silver spear on his, which indicated that he was the leader, the ‘spearhead’ of the Angels. _

_ Yes, the Angels were highly decorated people, who took symbols and clothes into consideration for their ‘culture’. The only problem was that some of the Angels didn’t wear a pristine white robe anymore. _

_ The camp was filled with groaning, and cries of pain. People who Angela thought were just fine a minute ago were now walking around clutching red-soaked spots on their robes, with a second glance. Lifeless bodies were dragged around the camp, old shed tears streaming down their lifeless faces. Families cried out for their sons or daughters, wives or husbands, or parents while guards wearing bronze breastplates, Spartan-style helmets and swords tied tightly on their rope belts barked out orders to restrain them from barging into the medical tent. _

_ Healers rushed around the camp, easily recognized by their gold sashes that were draped around their shoulders and around their back, tending to those who could not make it to the medical tent, crouching beside wounded Angels and wrapping gauze or uttering healing spells to care for the wounds. Angela wore a gold sash herself. _

_ She felt bile rise to her throat, and attempted to pry away from Reinhardt and Jack to go to the medical wing or just  _ anywhere  _ where she was needed most, but Reinhardt placed a humongous hand on her shoulder, stopping her. _

_ “Angela, I need your opinion on this first,” Reinhardt said without a single glance at her, still glaring at Jack, who had his arms crossed and his mouth curled into a scowl. _

_ “Do you think we can give much resistance, given our casualties so far?” Reinhardt asked. Angela sighed to herself. It was inevitable that the old man would ask this. “The only thing we’d be doing is thrusting ourselves to certain death!” _

_ “Death is not an excuse to not uphold our duties as Archangels!” Jack spat. “We were given a duty, Wilhelm, and along with those duties we were given powers of a different caliber! We must not take this situation lightly.” _

_ “Exactly.” Reinhardt said, turning to Angela. He bent down to meet her eye-to-eye, and his glare turned into a look of compassion mixed with worry. All Angela could do was stare back, biting the inside of her cheek. _

_ “ _ Mein liebling _. Do you really think we can fight… with this? With what soldiers we have left, or what part of them? Do you really think we can stand a chance against the wolves  _ and  _ the vampires?” He asked her. Angela gulped, and glanced at Jack, who gave her a nasty look, as if to say ‘if you agree with him, it’ll be the end of you’. Angela sighed, regained her posture, and summoned her pride. _

_ “No. More than half of our numbers were depleted in the last battle, five hours ago,” Angela said. “If we did engage the Underworlders, our success levels would be significantly lower than what it would have been two days ago.” _

_ Reinhardt smiled and patted her on the back, then turned to Jack and stood to his full height.  _

_ “Jack. No disrespect, but you heard the lead healer. All that awaits us in the battlefield is imminent death.” He paused, as if mulling over what he had just said, and continued.  _

_ “No, I do not fear Death itself. But I do fear the death of all my comrades, and the extinction of Archangels on this continent.”  _

_ Jack huffed out a breath in defeat. _

_ “Fine. We will retreat. Just this once though. We cannot put our duties as Archangels aside for so long.” _

_ Angela saw a ghost of a smile on Reinhardt’s lips as he raised a fist over his heart, then held up two fingers vertically to his forehead in between his eyes in salute to the Angel leader. _

_ “Thank you, Jack.” _

_ BOOOOOM! _

_ The peace was interrupted by the sound of something crashing on the ground. _

_ Angela whipped her head around to find the source of the sound. One of the white tents has collapsed, and at the foot of the heap of canvas and wood stood a single gray-colored wolf. _

_ “IT’S TOO-” Reinhardt yelled before getting cut off by countless howls riddling the skies. Howls of different pitches. A call-to-arms. _

_ And in that moment, five seconds of peace and tranquility turned into one of chaos. _

_ War cries echoed throughout the camp, while Angels retrieved their armor and weapons while there was still time. The Underworlders had not reached that far into camp. _

_ Reinhardt cursed beside her, and Jack was already running into the distance to fight on the front lines.  _

_ “Angela,” Reinhardt said softly, and she turned to look at the man. He knelt down and fished out a small dagger from a strap on his ankle, and held it out to Angela. _

_ “I know how you feel about violence. But it is inevitable in our duties. Just- just take this, because I may not always be there to protect you.” The seriousness his eyes made Angela gulp. It was not in her nature to harm other people, rather it was the opposite. He couldn’t possibly expect her to- _

_ “You might not use it, but take it anyways.” Reinhardt said, his serious gaze turning into one of understanding. “You never know, right?”  _

_ Angela nodded and mulled over her thoughts for a second before reluctantly taking the dagger. Its hilt was white adorned with gold beads curling in intricate designs that looked like flowers, and the blade was slightly curved but razor sharp due to Reinhardt’s extensive care to his weapons. This was no doubt an expensive dagger, and to have Reinhardt hand it to her made her heart warm. She looked up at the man, and he smiled and gave her a thumbs up. _

_ “Good,  _ mein liebling _. Now, it is time for justice!” He yelled, and Angela couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm for battle. He squandered off in the direction of his personal tent, while Angela turned and ran to the medical tent. _

_ She did not see any Underworlder on her way to the tent. Instead, Angels that ran to get their armor earlier were now running with bronze breastplates on their chests, knives and swords hanging off of their rope belts. They all had a determined look in their eyes, and Angela envied their determination to fight. She was not one to be on the front lines herself, instead opting for a job behind the scenes tending to everyone else’s wounds. _

_ White tents left and right produced white-robed Angels, the red stains on their shirt not hindering their need to fight.  _

_ A conch horn blew on the other side of the camp, and Angela recognized that as the Angels’ own call-to-arms. She continued her dash to the medical tent. _

_ Once she reached her destination of a bigger tent that the rest, adorned with gold rope wrapped around it, she couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the scene unfolding in front of her. _

_ A black wolf had one of the healers under its clutches, the healer writhing on the ground trying to relinquish the wolf’s hold. The wolf snapped its jaws at her, and attempted for a strike on her neck, but the healer put up her arm to protect herself. _

_ A mistake. _

_ The wolf bit down on the arm, the healer screaming in agony as a barrage of red burst from her arm.  _

_ “HELP! HELP!” The healer called out, eyes shut and trying haplessly to keep the wolf on top of her at bay. Angela frantically looked around her, searching for someone who can help. But everyone else had problems of their own. _

_ She looked down at the dagger in her trembling hands. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to will away the tears of fear. She had to do something. Something. _

_ At that moment, all ties were cut loose. Angela felt something in her  _ release,  _ something that, as she opened her eyes, reflected the same determination as her fellow Angels. She growled, and rushed to the wolf, with the dagger raised high in the air. _

Shiiiish!

_ Before she knew it, her dagger was plunged in the wolf’s head. It looked at her, its yellow eyes boring into hers. Her own widened as she realized what emotion the wolf reflected. _

Fear.

_ It dropped off of the nurse’s body and slumped limp on the ground, its fur bristling in the wind as it lay unmoving. Angela couldn’t hear anything, refused to hear the nurse’s thanks and the sounds beyond. She stared at the lifeless body before her, and her hands trembled again. Her mouth opened to say a silent apology to the wolf, but no words came out. This was her fault. _

_ She had killed another being. She had done the thing that her morals indicated against, which was harm another soul. _

_ Then the wolf started to move. No, it looked like it was Shifting. The fur on it decreased until all that was left was caramel skin, pitch-black hair, and a faraway look to its soft brown eyes, the Eye of Horus tattoo under its eye crinkled in a slight wince. _

_ No. No, no, no. It can’t be. _

_ Angela fell to her knees, looking at the dead figure laying on the ground. _

_ She killed- _

_ She killed- _

“AAAAAH!” She screamed, and wildly trashed, looking for something to hold on to, to bring her back to reality. There was what seemed to be a pillow on which she was lying on, and she clutched to it like it was a buoy in a sea of sharks.

“Mmph- Angela, what…” The pillow said, its body vibrating from the sound. That voice- no, it can’t be-

Before she can comprehend her thoughts, a ringtone sounded to her right. She lifted her head from the pillow to look to her right, where her bag was lying on the sand.

_ Wait- sand? _

She leaned her head back on her pillow to relax while taking in her surroundings

It was early morning, with a few stars still shining in the sky. The sound of crashing waves accompanied her ringtone, as well as a rapidly-beating heartbeat.

Angela felt heat radiate on her cheeks as she realized where she was. She whipped her head around to look wide-eyed at the figure beside her, who was not at the very least a pillow. And who was also not dead.

“Angela? You- you had a nightmare.” Fareeha said, and worry showed in her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. Angela probably looked erratic right now, like a deer caught in the headlights.

“I-”

The ringing of her phone stopped, only to start again a few seconds later. Angela sighed and leaned over and fished it out of her bag, eager to rid her mind of the nightmare.

As she opened her phone, the brightness blinded her and she squinted in an attempt to see the caller ID.

_ No… It can’t be…  _

The caller ID read Jack Morrison.

“ _ Mein gott…” _

 

__________

 

Fareeha had a dream. A dream that she can only faintly remember. Something about her mother, herself Shifting and activating  _ Raptora _ , then the dream disappearing altogether, only to appear again in a different setting with an Angel in front of her, raising her hand and wings outstretched, saying something like ‘People never fly.’

Then she woke due to a thrashing Angela. Fareeha tried to hug her, to whisper assurances to her ear that everything was okay, but the doctor was in deep. It was only when the doctor opened her eyes panting that Fareeha could truly understand the nature of the situation. Angela had not only a nightmare, but a terrible one.

Fareeha read something like this in a book about Archangels, written by the Creator himself, called  _ The Ultimate Handbook to Eradicating Those Pesky Little Archangels, By Yours Truly.  _ Apparently their Creator had a bit of a sense of humour.

The book contained things that were crucial to the werewolves’ battle against the forces of light. One entry showed that Archangel dreams were not to be taken lightly, especially nightmares. They may carry hints of the future, or warnings that have to be taken seriously.

If Angela was having one of those dreams now, it certainly wasn’t a good thing.

“Angela? Who is it?” Fareeha asked as the doctor reached for her ringing phone. Angela turned to her, with frightened eyes. Fareeha felt a twinge of compassion, and she wanted to comfort the other woman so bad,  _ so bad.  _ A life being an Angel was hard, Fareeha knew for sure, because they were an uptight, stiff bunch. Well, they were organized though, but with the consequence of being uptight and stiff. Kind of like the Romans back in the day against the Greeks. Warlike and organized, but very strict.

“No, no one you need to worry about. I-I need to go. Thank you for all this, really,” Angela mumbled quietly while standing to her feet, Fareeha barely catching the words escaping out of her mouth. She raised her chest up and leaned on one of her elbows from her laying position, and looked curiously at Angela, who was now walking towards the road beside the beach.

Fareeha held back a laugh at Angela’s stupidity.

“And where are you going, doctor?” She called out to the other woman, whose phone screen illuminated her face as she walked. She was focused on something on the screen, and Fareeha suddenly got a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen.

“I’m going… back to the city…” Angela yelled back nonchalantly, but then abruptly stopped in her tracks towards the highway. She then turned around and looked at Fareeha sheepishly. Fareeha grinned back.

“Well, good to know that you aren’t stupid enough to  _ walk  _ all the way back to the city, doc.” Fareeha said, and stood and retrieved her jacket from the ground, flapping it to get all the sand out. She then looked up towards the sky, where still a few stars were showing. The sun was about to rise. A new day.

Both of the ladies headed towards the bike, and prepared for the ride, strapping on their helmets and straddling the motorcycle, with the doctor’s arms wrapped around Fareeha’s waist like the day before. She tried to ignore the heat that was emanating from her cheeks, and started the engine to head off to Angela’s apartment.

  
  
  


They pulled up in front of the old brownstone building. Fareeha noticed that it was old, but somehow lavish at the same time, right at the heart of the city and significantly close to Angela’s hospital. It had about eight floors, and some of the balconies had either blankets or clothes hanging out of them.

Angela released her hold from her waist to slide off of the motorcycle, and Fareeha tried to hold back a whine at the loss of contact. She looked back at the doctor, who was taking off her helmet, and she couldn’t help but stare the way she did when Angela did the same at the beach. Angela had to nudge her back from her thoughts, handing her the extra helmet.

“...Thanks, Fareeha. I… I actually needed this. It’s been so long that I’ve taken a break from work, and this was just perfect. Thank you.” Angela said, the color red blossoming on her cheeks. She tried to turn her head to the side in an attempt to hide it, but Fareeha reached up and held her chin, turning Angela’s face to hers.

Fareeha looked Angela straight in the eye.

“No, thank  _ you,  _ doc. It’s been rough, these past couple of days, a-and-” Fareeha stuttered, then paused and cleared her throat.

“-and I just really enjoy being with you, Angela.”

Angela couldn’t hide the full-on blush on her face, and Fareeha couldn’t hide hers either. So they just stood there, Fareeha leaning on her motorcycle, two helmets hanging off of one arm and the other cupping Angela’s face, while Angela stood with one foot on the sidewalk to her apartment and one foot on the street.

“I really enjoy being with you too, Fareeha.” Angela managed to say truthfully. Fareeha furrowed her eyebrows, not in worry or confusion, but in need and want.

Fareeha debated whether to follow the pounding of her heart, the rapid beating of urgency.

Or to follow the naysay in her head, the more logical approach.

Or her gut feeling, which was tugging towards the direction of the person in front of her now.

No, not the person in front of her.

The  _ Angel  _ in front of her.

Fareeha decided to follow the gut feeling, and held Angela closer to her. 

Closer.

_ Closer. _

Until they were a hair’s width away from each other, and Fareeha could feel and hear Angela’s breath hitch.

“Can I-” Fareeha asked but her eyes locked with the doctor’s gorgeous blue eyes that enamored her like the ocean. Fareeha felt like a fisherman lost at sea, the sea being Angela’s eyes, and like she was clinging to her ship which was Angela in which she went overboard. 

“Yes,” Angela said, and that was all Fareeha needed for her to lean in and make the connection with the doctor, her brain seemingly spewing fireworks at the feeling.

She couldn’t describe it. All that popped into her head were deep feelings for the woman in front of her. She was eternally grateful that she was Bonded with her. The feel of soft lips on hers, Fareeha couldn’t register anything else. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling. She tried to hold on to them for as long as she could, but-

_ AWOOOOO! _

Angela broke away from the kiss, and Fareeha glared in the direction of The Den, silently cursing at Gabriel.

“I guess that’s my cue, then.” Angela said reluctantly, and stepped back one step, relinquishing Fareeha’s touch. Fareeha’s shoulders drooped, and she watched as Angela turned around to head to her apartment.

“Angela.” She said, clenching and unclenching her fists, in a futile attempt to channel her sudden spike of adrenaline elsewhere.

The blonde turned around, her hair whipping to the side, and Fareeha’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the ordeal in slow-motion.

_ They say this is what love does to you. That when you meet the one, time slows down, and everything else disappears until it’s just you- you and her. _

It was. It was just Fareeha and Angela, Fareeha being an idiot in love. Standing in the empty street, with the rest of the world smeared into a blur of colors that Fareeha didn’t dare try to look at. 

She forgot how to speak, coughing out a barrage of nonsense as she gaped at the doctor. Angela smiled warmly at her, and spoke for her.

“Until next time,  _ schatz. _ ”

And just like that, her Angel disappeared behind an oak door, and one by one, people started to appear in her vision, their chatter filling her ears instead of the silence that was once shared with her and Angela.

Fareeha sighed as she got pulled back in full to reality, donned her helmet again, gripped Angela’s (yes, it was now Angela’s) helmet under her arm, started the engine and revved towards The Den.

 

__________

 

As soon as Angela got into her apartment, she closed the door and slid down on it, ending up sitting on the floor with her back against the door. 

_ I can’t believe it. _

She really just kissed Fareeha. Cute, strong Fareeha, who was also a werewolf. Was this prohibited in the Angel laws?

_ Who cares if it’s against the Law? You love her, and she you,  _ Angela thought, and she leaned her head back against the door and took a deep breath.  _ Maybe… Maybe so. _

She closed her eyes and tried to remember the feeling that she had felt when she kissed her. The sparks of warmth that blossomed from her abdomen, being truly in love. But in the midst of doing so, her phone vibrated in her bag, and she sighed, sliding the zipper of her yellow bag with trembling fingers.

_ Jack Morrison,  _ the caller ID read. Angela sighed.  _ Well, it was inevitable. _

She tapped the green phone icon and held the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Mercy, I’m afraid I need you to report to the camp ASAP,” Jack answered gruffly, and Angela sighed again, a bit ticked off at the man’s forwardness.

“You could at least say please, Jack. Manners are quite important when addressing a woman,” Angela quipped, and stifled a laugh as she heard the groan from the other line.

“Fine. We need you here, right now, at this moment-” he cut off as he took a deep breath. “Please.”

Angela smiled, and stood from her sitting position, phone nestled in between her ear and shoulder as she patted the wrinkles from her blouse.

“And what do I owe to this occasion, Jack?” Angela tried to ask innocently. Jack huffed on the other line, and started to explain.

“One of our wolf spies confirmed a wolf attack on this very day. We don’t know when they will strike, but we need our lead healer with us if we are to engage them in combat. I will not move the camp, because we do not have time to move locations.” He paused before continuing.

“It’s hitting two birds with one stone, Angela. We defend the camp, and we do our duty. Jamison, the wolf spy, said that all available wolves in the region will participate in the attack. I do not know why the sudden aggressiveness, but we too must reciprocate.” 

Angela gulped. War. This will be war, all over again.

“War?” She croaked out, and she was met with silence.

“Yes.” Jack replied at last, his voice unwavering. 

_ AWHOOOO! _

Another wolf howl pierced the air, and Angela clamped her hand on her mouth. The wolf howl. A call-to-arms.

And Fareeha was taking part in it.

_ No, no, no, no, no- _

“I’m on my way.” She said before she could stop herself.

The least she can hope for is to be there if Fareeha got hurt, or stop and distract any of her fellow Angels before they can hurt her. Or, even better, if Fareeha didn’t take part at all. They had duties that they both had to tend to, and they both couldn’t turn them down, even if they wanted to.

But she had hope that Fareeha can take care of herself. She saved Angela’s life, after all. She should be able to save her own.

Angela could just hope.

She grasped the doorknob, said a quick goodbye to Jack, and went on her way to the Archangel camp, with the heavy weight of the gold-encrusted dagger in her bag making Angela uneasy with fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know I said I'll try to post every Saturday, but I just couldn't resist posting it today! I hope I've done you some good.
> 
> P.S the quote that Fareeha thought of when Angela turned to her before entering the apartment just connects with me on every level. I think it's my favorite line in the story so far lol. Tell me what you guys think! 
> 
> And tell me how my bad fluff writing skills are LMAO


	5. Conflict of Interest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY for the delay! More will be explained at end notes. Hope you can just... just take this...

The wind was in her hair once again, black tresses blowing in the wind, with her gold ornaments clinking together in haste.

The rumble of the motorcycle was felt underneath her once again, as she cursed and upped the gear a notch as another wolf howl ripped through the cold morning air. 

This time around, she took these two feelings for granted. The last time she had rode on Betty was with  _ Angela,  _ after all.

Fareeha saw a pedestrian signal blink, and she slowed down until she stopped at the crosswalk, panting for no reason other than the nervousness that filled her, thinking about the upcoming battle.

_ And to make it worse, Angela’s an Angel,  _ she thought. 

_ If I did face her on the battlefield, would I have to- _

BEEEP!

A car horn from behind her shook her reverie, and she revved the motorcycle forward as the pedestrian signal took its last blink. 

_ No. I will never do that. Even so, I am against killing innocent little-  _ she broke off her train of thought to grin-  _ ‘cuddies.’ It’s not right. There is no justice and honor in killing a defenseless child. _

She saw the outskirts of the forest of where The Den was hidden in, and she slowed down look around for parking. In no circumstance was she going to drive a  _ motorcycle  _ into the forest. It would be very suspicious.

She turned right into an underground pay-parking lot. She turned several levels down before she could find a good parking space, and she fit Betty into there. 

Fareeha slid off the motorcycle, and slipped off her helmet. She placed it on top of the motorcycle, because no one would dare to steal it. This is a parking lot for wolves, after all.

Fareeha strode past rows upon rows of cars, no doubt owned by other werewolves. Of course, the seldom human would park here, designated by the parking ticket on their windshield. No wolves ever payed for their parking, but humans were so obedient, that they payed. Well, the parking lot was paid by Gabriel, so the wolves could have direct access to The Den. There really was no point in paying.

There was an opening between a space of cars, and she walked in between it, finding herself in front of an elevator. There were two buttons on the right, and she pressed the  _ up  _ button. While waiting, Fareeha fixed the crumpled sleeves of her leather jacket, and contemplated what she would do in the battle.

_ I can’t kill any kids. But I may have to kill any Angels that try to fight me, in order to not be suspicious to Gabriel,  _ she thought. No, she wasn’t a turncoat to the wolves. But she wouldn’t be a murderer either.

_ But look what you did to Khalil.  _ No, that wasn’t murder. He was going to kill Angela. That was defense. 

_ Jesus Fareeha, you’ve got yourself in a pinch.  _ She rubbed her jaw, yelling for the elevator to  _ HURRY UP ALREADY  _ in her head.

“Lookie who’s here!” A voice exclaimed from behind her. Fareeha sighed. She’d know that Southern accent from anywhere.

“Jesse.” She turned to find the cowboy in his cowboy hat and poncho, tipping his hat and looking incredulously at her.

“‘Lil F’reeha. I imagine you went out with the doctor?”

Fareeha tried to stifle a grin at the memory of her and Angela.

“Yeah, guess so.”

“Which is why you forgot to come to bingo night at my place?” Jesse’s smile grew, and Fareeha gaped at him, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

“O-oh, that. Sorry, it kind of just slipped off my mind-” Jesse laughed and poked his hat upwards so he could look Fareeha in the eye.

“No worries, seeing that you’re Bonded after all. Never thought I’d see the day that my ‘lil Fareeha would get a girl!”

Fareeha couldn't help but scoff at the cowboy.

“Need I remind you of all the incidents at the bar-”

“God, no. Please!” The cowboy begged, and grabbed the edge of his hat so he can pull it lower. “You were cheatin’, an’ I know that for a fact. Ain't there no way you had those girls actually all linin’ up for ya-”

“And you said you didn't want to talk about it.” Fareeha laughed, as the elevator dinged beside her. She began to step inside, but she stopped in her tracks as she heard Jesse mutter something under his breath.

“Cheaters first.” 

Fareeha smirked. She whipped around, grabbed the cowboy’s stupid poncho on both sides and used it to  _ throw  _ him onto the elevator before she got in, like throwing a frisbee, but one with a stupid cowboy hat and a stupid poncho. Who the hell wears these things now anyway? 

Jesse landed on the far wall of the elevator with a  _ thud,  _ his hat flying off his head. His hair was a major mess, with brown tussles spiking everywhere, and the mad look in his brown eyes made Fareeha chuckle.

“What did you say, Jesse?” The cowboy stared her down for a good five seconds before standing up from the floor and reaching for his hat.

“Nothin’ of the matter.”

Fareeha stepped inside of the elevator, satisfied, and pressed the  _ G  _ button amongst numerous others. She sighed as the elevator doors closed, and heard the ruffling of fabric behind her. She turned around to see Jesse straightening out his hat.

“No good, Fareeha. No good,” He said, and glared at her. Fareeha just grinned and winked.

“That’s what best friends are for, right?”

Jesse grumbled, “Don’t let Lena hear that. Ever. She’d skin us both alive.”

“I think I can handle an angry Brit.”

“You mean ‘ _ a peeved golly-waggott’ _ ?” Jesse mocked with an over-exaggerated British accent. Fareeha’s eyes widened and a small giggle escaped through her mouth.

“Or a  _ ‘cheesed ‘lil paddywack’ _ ?” She responded, and Jesse looked back, straightened his back, and grinned. This looked like it was going to be a competition.

  
  


_ Crooked-leg cockney!  _ Jesse shot.

_ Spineless chinless wonder!  _ Fareeha thought back, as they raced through the trees heading for The Den. They’ve been at this for nearing thirty minutes now, transitioning from translating ‘angry Brit’ to insults in British slang, or whatever they thought of that could pop out of Lena’s mouth one day. 

_ You Egyptian tea-wop!  _

Fareeha let out a snort, and retorted.

_You Southern,_ _poxy, skanky, indolent, abominable, abhorrent, bigheaded, bilious, bitter, calculating, cantankerous, conceited, namby-pamby, gutless, smutty, vile, lousy, grotty, crude, uncouth, disgusting, revolting, wicked, despicable, sinister wanker!_

Jesse’s thoughts froze in surprise as Fareeha thought of every insulting adjective she could think of, and she heard a few throaty chuckles from the trees ahead. The trees that hid The Den.

_...they heard,  _ Fareeha thought warily, her nose dipping to the ground, staring at the brown dirt.

_ And so they did,  _ Jesse whimpered, as they broke through the final line of trees to find themselves in their destination, the glade looking more full than ever with furs of different varieties and yips and laughs coming from them.

_ You do know how to start a party, luv!  _ Fareeha heard a British accent in her head. She groaned in her head. Hopefully Lena didn’t figure out that she and Jesse were trying to insult each other with hopeless Bri’ish remarks. They’d both be dead for sure, by a real angry Brit.

_ I don’t think I’d call this a party, Lena.  _ Jesse replied, shaking his wolf head and pawing haplessly at it, trying to get that  _ stupid  _ cowboy hat on properly. Fareeha shook her head at the memory of Jesse trying to get the hat on just minutes before.

_ They stopped beside the old oak tree that Fareeha had laid Angela’s clothes just yesterday. The duo both stripped off their clothes, turning away from each other respectively. _

_ “If you turn around, I will rip your head off,” Fareeha warned as she took off her jacket and folded it neatly on the ground. _

_ “Touche. Oh, wait! I didn’t mean-” Jesse’s voice was muffled as Fareeha’s shirt got caught on her ears. She took off the rest of her clothing and Shifted, turning around expecting a Shifted Jesse too, but all she saw was a cowboy throwing his poncho on the patch of grass next to hers, the contrast between the messy poncho and Fareeha’s neatly folded jacket making her shiver. She never knew if she had OCD, but now she knew.  _

_ Fareeha whined and pawed at his poncho. Jesse just stared at her with a quizzical look, his eyes darting back and forth between her and the poncho. His eyes soon traveled to her folded jacket, and he scoffed. _

_ “If you think that I’m gonna  _ fold  _ that thing, well think again, lassie,” He said, and Fareeha turned around to give him some privacy. _

_ “Besides, what’s the point of folding clothes if y’all gonna unfold it again?” He asked. Fareeha heard muscles releasing, the familiar sound of someone Shifting, and she turned around to face the brown wolf. _

_ Well, he did have a point. _

Touche,  _ she thought, using the word  _ properly  _ this time. She started to head to the direction of The Den, but a ruffling behind her made her stop and look back. _

_ Jesse was using his front paws to try to carry the  _ cowboy hat  _ normally, his furry head on the ground with his tongue ridiculously hanging out in an attempt to lean the hat onto his head. Fareeha’s eyes widened, and she growled. _

Jesse! We don’t have time for this!  _ She thought out to him, but he just grunted in response. _

There’s always a little time for- ugh!  _ He shoved the hat halfway onto his head, and lifted it from the ground, the hat lopsided while he looked at Fareeha with a victorious glint to his eyes. _

No. No way. Just let that fall, it’s just- 

I thought we were late?  _ Jesse asked, and raised a wolfy eyebrow to her. Fareeha just groaned and started loping towards The Den. _

 

_ Agreed,  _ another thought entered her head. Gabriel. Fareeha looked towards the jagged cliffs, where the familiar black wolf was standing upon it, its head high.

Once Gabriel’s thought reached everyone, the wolves fell silent from their chatter, in respect to the Alpha. Gabriel grunted, pleased.

_ My brethren. It is time for war.  _ He announced.

Fareeha’s eyebrows furrowed.  _ War? _

_ Yes. Unless you were too busy thinking about your Bonder, Fareeha,  _ Gabriel replied, and The Den erupted with sudden howls.

_ What? How did he know?  _ Fareeha thought to herself, but her head turned automatically to the ecstatic Brit across the Glade, who was grinning and howling to her.

Fareeha didn’t expect it, but apparently the other wolves had opinions of their own.

_ The great Fareeha Amari- Bonded! Whaddya think of that! _

_ Lucky kid. Not one for love myself, but that’s something I’d want to experience sometimes. _

_ Wonder if she’ll use  _ Raptora  _ by different means, you know what I mean? _

Fareeha’s eyes widened, and she felt heat creeping up her face, even if she couldn’t blush in wolf form. That was… well that was certainly not what she’d use  _ Raptora  _ for, but it did seem interesting…

_ What? Raptora?  _ She thought back, trying to take her mind off of the thought of using her ‘blue powers’ for… other means.  _ Not like I need it anyway, I’m good enough. Think I should lend it to you though, don’t you think? _

The glade was filled with even stronger howls and thoughts along the lines of ‘ _ bro you got roasted!’  _

Even the almighty Alpha Gabriel chuckled to himself. Fareeha felt a bit of deja vu. 

_ Okay, okay, back to war,  _ Gabriel commanded, transitioning the pack from a feeling of carefreeness and joy to something that felt like expectancy and nervousness in a snap.

_ We will have two main attack groups, attacking from either the North or the South of the Angel camp. I, myself, will lead the North Point, and Amari will lead the South.  _

Fareeha gasped, and several other wolves beside her did too.

_ Command- the South?  _ She asked, confused. There were plenty of other wolves just as capable as her, probably even more. 

_ Yes,  _ Gabriel confirmed, and leaned back to sit on his haunches.  _ We’ll need Raptora in this fight. The South Point’s purpose is the main reason of this attack; to target the Angel babies- excuse me, cuddies- located in the medical area. North Point is just a distraction for South Point to work efficiently, but if they see the wolf Alpha leading the attack from the front, they’ll think that that is our whole pack, while South point will flank and attack from the back while the Angels are preoccupied with us. _

_ Seems legit,  _ Jesse thought, and looked worriedly at Fareeha.  _ Are you sure you can do this?  _

Fareeha sighed.

_ Well, there’s only one way to find out. _

_ That’s more like it, Amari.  _ Gabriel nodded in approval. 

He gave them more pointers and tips about how to attack the camp, then ended with listing off the names that were in either North Point or South Point. Jesse and Lena were both placed into South Point. Fareeha guessed that it was so that they can help her in her  _ new  _ position.

_ You got that right, luv!  _ Lena piped up, interrupting her thoughts.  _ We’ll be great wingmen just like we were yesterday! _

Fareeha groaned, and glared once again at the petite brown wolf across the glade. Lena, who was staring at her with a lopsided smirk, was waggling her eyebrows at her.

_ Sure,  _ Fareeha thought back, rolling her eyes. She couldn’t think of a slick remark to reply to the over-excited Brit.

_ I got this, F’ree.  _ Jesse thought, and Fareeha turned to the darker brown wolf beside her, who was shaking his fur in preparation and raising an eyebrow at Lena.

He stared her down, and Lena stared back. Fareeha heard Jesse’s thoughts, and groaned again, shoving her paw deep into the Earth in embarrassment.

_ You’re just a cantankerous wank,  _ Jesse shot, and Lena’s eyes widened in shock and growled.

_ You… You wouldn’t dare. _

_ I think I just did, you waddybag!  _ Jesse grinned giddily, and Lena glared at him, steadily padding towards him. 

Here comes the  _ real  _ British insults.

_ Now look here, you little lazy sod- _

_ Enough. We must carry out our duties,  _ Gabriel announced, and stood and shook his fur. Lena stopped her advance, only to glare at Jesse. He stuck his tongue out.

Gabriel growled, and Lena and Jesse snapped their attention to the Alpha. Clicking his tongue, Gabriel looked to the ground, and softly put down a paw.

_ Creator, help us,  _ he prayed.

All the other wolves thought the same, but Fareeha stayed silent. If their Creator really cared for them, they would’ve heard more of him other than a death threat. She didn’t dare think this out loud to the other wolves, or else she’d be receiving more than a death threat.

_ South Point and North Point, group up. Attack will commence,  _ Gabriel thought out. The wolves began organizing themselves, South Point gathering around Fareeha with Jesse and Lena by her side.

Once they were done assembling, there were two groups of wolves, one smaller than the other. Gabriel was at the front of the gathered North Point, the larger pack, while Fareeha was at the front of the smaller South Point. 

_You may_ _do the honors, Fareeha,_ Gabriel ordered. Fareeha straightened her back, and furrowed her brows, transitioning from the easygoing Fareeha to the stoic soldier that she was known for being.

She waited a second for mere dramatic effect, then took a deep breath.

 

_ Let’s go. _

  
  
  


They were hidden by the green of trees, slinking back into the shadows. The back of the Angel den was clearly visible, the Archangels’ white robes billowing about wherever they went. 

Fareeha gulped. This was it. This was where they took their stand.

_ Fareeha.  _ Jesse nudged her, and she looked at the worried brown wolf whose eyes were trained on the camp ahead.  _ Do you see anything… unordinary? _

Fareeha looked back to the camp, and she narrowed her eyes. No, she didn’t see anything- wait. 

Every Angel was wearing armor, even the women were. To Fareeha’s knowledge, and according to  _ The Ultimate Handbook to Eradicating Those Pesky Little Archangels, By Yours Truly,  _ women and children did not wear armor. 

_ Which is idiotic,  _ Fareeha thought to herself, and shook her head. 

_ What was that?  _

_ Nothing, Jesse.  _

_ Hey, since we’re about to go in battle, shouldn’t we call each other by our callsigns? _

_ We don’t have time for that. _

_ There’s always time for a few names!  _

Fareeha sighed.

_ Okay, McCree. _

The wolf beside her grinned widely.

_ Thank you, almighty Pharah! _

Fareeha groaned again. She hated that nickname, especially how it came to be.

_ Boss,  _ one of the wolves she didn’t know called out to her. She cocked her head to indicate that she was listening.

_ They knew we were coming. _

Fareeha’s eyes widened, and she looked to the camp once more. Sure enough, it didn’t look a thing like what their Creator put in his book. Rather, it looked more fortified, with metal spikes poking out of the perimeter of the camp, the armored women and children, and racks of weapons placed just about everywhere. Their white tents were tied closed, and the emotions on the Angels’ faces looked grave.

The wolf was right. They no longer had the element of surprise on their hand.

_ We need a new plan,  _ Fareeha replied. She cursed inwardly. Gabriel and the North Point wouldn’t be able to hear their thoughts this far away from each other, and she had about fifty wolves at hand to lead. She racked her brain trying to think of what to do.

_ Okay. We’ll still go on with the plan. Hopefully the Angels don’t know about our flanking strategy,  _ Fareeha decided.

And so they waited, each wolf on the tips of their toes in expectation. They were waiting for North Point’s signal to attack, then once the battle commenced, they would attack while the Angels were distracted by North Point. 

_ What if I see Angela?  _ Fareeha wondered out loud. It was Lena this time who turned to her, an eyebrow raised. 

_ You won’t hurt her, luv. She’s not here, after all. _

Fareeha’s eyes widened, realizing she had thought that out loud, and she tried to quickly think up of a reason.

_B- but what if I do? What if Raptora activated and I followed my gut feeling? What if Raptora_ _just-_

_ AWHOOOOOO! _

A wolf howl sent the Angels walking around the camp into a frenzy, and they all rushed towards the direction of where North Point was situated. 

All of South Point stood, awaiting the order from their leader. Fareeha’s mind short-circuited though, at the thought of her killing Angela all because she couldn’t control Raptora-

_ Fareeha. We have to go. There’s no more Angels on this side,  _ McCree called her back to reality. Fareeha looked at him, and sighed. She tried to set aside the thoughts of Raptora activating by accident, but she knew if it did…

_ Not yet.  _ Fareeha whipped her attention to what looked like battle on the other side of the camp. Howls and cries were filling the chill morning air, and the sunrise lay to the East. What was Fareeha waiting for? Maybe a sign, she felt a gut feeling that Gabriel wouldn’t just leave them hanging without a-

_ AWHOOOO! _

That was no doubt the Alpha’s howl.

_ NOW!  _ Fareeha commanded, and jumped out of the safety of the trees, heading full speed towards the spikes that lay on the outskirts of the camp.

She jumped over them with relative ease, confident that South Point was following tightly behind her. No Angel was in sight as they broke through the first line of white tents.

_ No sidetracking. Our duty is to kill the cuddies,  _ Fareeha reminded the pack as they dashed through the second line of white tents undetected.

Fareeha kept her eyes peeled for ‘a larger tent than the others, with gold lines around it,’ as indicated from  _ The Ultimate Handbook to Eradicating Those Pesky Little Archangels, By Yours Truly.  _ That would be the medical tent…

As they ran past white tents, she saw Angels heading out of some of the tents, fully armored with swords and battle axes strapped to their belts. Sometimes, they didn’t notice the running wolves, instead intent on joining the main battle at the front of their camp. But sometimes, they would take notice, eyes widening at the sight before them. 

The look in their eyes made Fareeha want to puke. They looked at the wolves as if they were animals, and nothing but. Sure, they were, but the Angels looked at them as if they were beasts, incapable of holding any feelings, or holding  _ anything  _ in that case. Just mindless beasts.

She growled, and felt renewed urgency course through her now-rapid paws, moving faster than they would have. She didn’t bother worry about the wolves that couldn’t keep up with her. She was filled with rage.

_ We have feelings,  _ she knew. _ We know hurt. Stress. Grief. Joy. Happiness. _

_ Love. _

She also had Angela. Who she might see during the battle.

What if it comes to that? Furthermore, what if they met during when Fareeha wasn’t in control- when Raptora activated? She couldn’t control Raptora, and she doesn’t know why. Raptora… It was like it had a mind of its own.

  
  


_ “Habibti, you are very blessed to bear Raptora,” Her mother said when she was thirteen years old, the age in which she had discovered she was a werewolf.  _

_ They were sitting in the porch of their old house, her mother cleaning her rifle on the porch table with grease staining the marble and the white cloths her mother used, while Fareeha watched her with interest gleaming in her eyes. She had always loved the infamous rifle, the sheer size making her squeal. Of course, not only a squeal Fareeha will emit when Ana Amari actually  _ shot  _ with the rifle. Little Fareeha made a pledge to be as powerful as her mother’s rifle; powerful but for the good, serving rightful justice wherever she went. _

_ Of course, that job would be easier now that she knew she had Raptora. _

_ “Where did it come from?” Fareeha asked her mother, who looked up to stare her in in the eyes, her Eye of Ra tattoo gleaming from her sweat. _

_ “A-ah, well, that is another story to tell some other time, Fareeha.” Her mother stood up from her chair, picking up the dirty cloths. She attempted to wipe down the table with the dirty cloths, but instead got more grease stains on the marble. Her mother groaned. _

_ “Fareeha, can you carry my rifle to my room? I do believe this will take a while,” her mother asked with a slight grin on her face.  _

_ Fareeha’s eyes widened, and she grinned from ear to ear. She shot up from her chair, and reached out for the rifle. Her mother smiled, picked up the rifle from the table, and gingerly handed it to her. Fareeha hugged the newly-cleaned rifle in her hands, staring at it dearly as if it were a baby. _

_ “Careful, now, habibti. Don’t want you dislocating your nose like you did last week!” Her mother called as Fareeha walked little steps towards the back door of their house. _

_ “I can handle this!” Fareeha called back, her eyebrow furrowed in concentration at the heavy weight in her arms.  _ Yes _ , she thought. She  _ can  _ handle this. _

_ “But unfortunately, dear, you cannot handle Raptora.” Her mother said suddenly. _

_ Fareeha looked back, astonished at her mother, who was still smiling, but apologetically this time. Ana dropped her dirty rags and walked to her, taking a worried glance to her rifle, then back at Fareeha. Fareeha hugged the rifle tighter to her chest. _

_ “What do you mean, I can handle it! I have to…” Fareeha looked to the ground, unable to meet her mother in the eye. Her mother just clicked her tongue and took Fareeha’s chin in her hand, lifting her head to stare her in the eye. _

_ “Fareeha. I’ve talked to Gabriel. You-” The great Ana Amari choked on her words for a moment, then cleared her throat and continued. “You have already activated Raptora, my dear.” _

_ “ _ What?!”  _ Fareeha exclaimed. The first time she had heard of Raptora was right in their porch, just thirty minutes ago, while her mother was explaining werewolf duties. Fareeha wrenched her chin away from her mother and stared at the ground once more. _

_ “You… habibti, please. Let’s go inside,” her mother consoled her. She nodded her head dumbly and entered the house, delivering the rifle to her mother’s room. _

_ They were at the dinner table this time, with Fareeha munching idly on some Froot Loops while her mother tried to think of a way to explain the news. Unbeknownst to Fareeha, Ana was actually having a hard time conjuring up a way to explain of the news. Ana Amari always planned out her… ‘jobs,’ but this was different. She sighed and decided to wing it. _

_ “Habibti… Two days ago-” _

_ “I Shifted,” Fareeha finished for her, stopping her chewing for a moment to respond. _

_ “Yes. Precisely. And… and you didn’t you didn’t know, but- okay, let’s rewind.” Ana sighed and rubbed her temples. _

_ “Two days ago, I drove you to what is called The Den. It’s a gathering place for… for people like us. Werewolves. Gabriel and I usually lead the meetings that occur there.” _

_ “Why did you take me there?” Asked Fareeha. _

_ “Thirteen is usually the age for young werewolves to start developing their powers. So I took you there, to The Den. The Den is the ideal place for Shifting, because it is where the first werewolves were created. Our inner life forms are stronger there. _

_ “Continuing on, I met with Gabriel while you were playing with Lena and Jesse. I told him why I brought you there, and he understood. We took you to a separate place, a meeting place for the wolf Elders. We call that the Circle, where our life forms are the strongest. Set one foot in the place, and you Shifted. Just like that.” _

_ “Okay!” Fareeha abruptly shouted. She stood up, and slammed her hands on the table. “I know that part! Just- when did Raptora come?” _

_ Ana sighed. _

_ “Patience, habibti. I’m getting there. When you Shifted, Uncle Gabriel took you to an Archangel camp, our enemies. Our duty is to-” _

_ “‘To eradicate Archangel activity.’ Yes, I’ve heard the lecture from Uncle Gabe,” Fareeha cut off again, now getting impatient. _

_ “Yes. Correct. He took you to their camp, and you didn’t know, but I was following you both. When you reached the camp, and you saw the Angels, you… well, that was when Raptora activated.” _

_ “What?” Fareeha asked, dubious. _

_ “Yes. Once Uncle Gabriel said that Archangels were our enemy, and then you just  _ saw  _ them right there, you just clicked.”  _

_ Ana knew the real story. _

_ Little Fareeha was just filled with so much determination. Now that she was a wolf, she could dole out ‘justice,’ just like her mother. Of course, Ana didn’t want that. She didn’t want her daughter to put herself in the line of danger, but she also knew that it had to be done, Fareeha being of Amari bloodline.  _

_ Amaris were a line of Alphas, always the most powerful wolves in their generation. Ana herself was the pack Alpha, coming back to her pack duties from five years of Egyptian military service. Gabriel was her subordinate. _

_ Fareeha, with all her determination, was told that Archangels were bad. Being the excited little girl she was, she wanted to do her duty to the pack right away. _

_ And that was when Raptora activated. _

_ Ana was a fool. She should have known Raptora could not be controlled within just mere seconds of activation. Mastering wolf powers required years of practice. Ana should’ve known that. _

_ She should have known that because her energetic little Fareeha couldn’t control the power that she held, a massacre occurred on that very day.  _

_ A massacre which was dubbed The Blue Massacre. _

_ Fareeha, on that day, had killed most of the Angels that resided on the camp, and she did it unknowingly. Her inner wolf spirit was controlling Raptora, not the rational Fareeha. And her inner wolf spirit hungered for the death of her enemies; the unexpecting Archangels. _

_ What the wolf wanted, the wolf got. _

_ Hundreds of Archangels died on that day, due to the little blue streak that blurred around camp. Ana could only watch as blood spattered on the once-pristine white tents, because it was over in a flash. _

_ Cries of sadness and help mingled together in the dark, and a blue wolf emerged from the camp, its sharp fangs dripping with Angel blood. Its eyes glowed red with bloodlust, matching the color with the blood on its lips.  _

_ The blue wolf climbed up the small ridge that Ana and Gabriel were hiding in, concealed in the safety of the trees. Ana could only watch as her daughter padded in front of her and Gabriel, her dark eyes reflecting the rays of the full moon. _

_ Was this really her daughter? Ana refused to think so. _

_ And she watched as the blue glow that once encapsulated the wolf disappeared into pitch black, and the blood red eyes blended back to bright gold. Fareeha slumped to the ground, and Gabriel had to shake Ana from her shock as he dragged her back to The Den, for fear that the Angels will hunt for them. _

 

_ It wasn’t until a few years later that sixteen-year-old Fareeha heard the real story, after her mother had disappeared. She heard it at The Den, where wolves were celebrating the anniversary of ‘The Blue Massacre.’  _

_ They raised her on their backs and chanted her name throughout the camp. This was the first time that Fareeha was at The Den on this very day, because her mother had always refused to let her go outside of the house on this day, every year. Only now when her mother was gone could she figure out the specialty of this very date. _

_ Fareeha was confused. Every wolf treated her like she was a champion, when surely she had not done anything for the pack. Her mother was to blame for her disappearance in pack duties, keeping her away from The Den at all costs. _

_ She now knew why. _

_ On the day of The Blue Massacre, the Archangels were getting ready for a surprise attack on the wolves, which would kill most of the wolf newborns kept in The Den. Somehow, they knew that there would be a large gathering on that day, and so they were preparing for war. _

_ Surely the wolves wouldn’t have been able to defend against a surprise attack, and so it would be a massacre but on the wolves. Fareeha had been able to flip the tables, therefore saving her brethren.  _

_ She was considered a hero, and was gifted the alias of ‘Pharah,’ named after Pharaoh who was the ruler of the Egyptians. They expected that when she would get older, she would become the new Alpha of the pack and live up to her Amari bloodline. _

_ That hasn’t happened yet. And Fareeha wished that that would never happen. _

 

A yip from one of her comrades brought her back to reality, and she snapped her head ahead, to where their destination stood.

In front of the wolves a few meters away was a great white tent, bigger than the others, with what seemed like gold strings wrapped around. It was exactly like what their Creator had described it; the Medical Tent.

Surprisingly, no other Archangel was guarding the tent, so Fareeha thought out a  _ halt  _ to her comrades. This might be a trap, because the Angels surely weren’t stupid enough to just  _ leave  _ their most important tent unprotected.

Fareeha split South Point in half, and made each half go around the tent to surround it. She made Jesse stick to her side while she assigned Lena to help round the other side of the tent.

The intricacies on the tent amazed Fareeha. Angel craftsmanship really was amazing. What she thought were gold strings placed hastily on the tent were actually lines of gold woven on the tent itself, containing images of flowers and what looked like pictures of battles with winged Angels holding up swords and… cups?

_ We got ‘em all surrounded,  _ Jesse reported. Fareeha looked around the tent to find bundles of fur all surrounding the great tent. She looked hastily behind her to see if any Archangels or guards came running. Nothing. The only things she saw were tents and wolves, and the only things she heard were howls, cries, and yips of pain from the other side of camp.

She had to do her job, and she had to do it quick. 

_ Alright, this is what we’re gonna do,  _ Fareeha started.  _ Twelve of us are going inside to… to do the job. The rest of you, stay outside here and keep guard. This might be a trap, or just a ploy to get us all cooped up in this one tent. If there are Angels inside, I will order appropriately. _

Fareeha heard grunts of agreement from the other wolves, and Fareeha took that as a sign to infiltrate the tent. She called out a few wolves to go with her, including Lena, leaving Jesse to lead the wolves outside.

Fareeha rounded the tent until she was at the front flap, the flap tied down to the ground. She sighed. This was it. This was the moment of truth, the moment of duty.

_ Let’s go.  _

She slid through between the flaps, and had to wait for a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark ambience of the tent. She was not surprised once she realized what she saw.

White-bedded cots lay on either side, but no bodies inhabited them. There was what seemed to be another set of flaps on the other side of the room, which had-

“ _ Waaah! Waah!” _

Fareeha froze. She felt her gut lurch, her instincts flurrying about. They  _ were  _ there. No, she didn’t want to kill the babies. At this point, she’d have to let her comrades do that. She can’t let the mission go uncalled for, and she couldn’t waste this opportunity either.

_ Pharah, they’re in the other room,  _ Lena confirmed. Fareeha sighed, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. The air smelled of fresh baby powder, a bit of blood, and the hide of her fellow wolves.

_ Be on guard,  _ she reminded. This was highly unusual, having Archangel babies so vulnerable. She padded forward through the tight path that the white cots offered, and ducked under the gold-embellished flap. Then she gasped.

What lay in front of her now was the same layout of the room that she was in before, but now with little… was it little baby beds? Little baby beds lying horizontally facing towards each other on each side of the room. There had to be at least thirty babies in the room, and Fareeha’s heart pounded in her chest

_ DON’T!  _ Her brain told her. She whirled around to face her troupe of wolves, confused. Those thoughts were not hers, but they weren’t her comrades’ either.

She looked back to the Angel babies, now looking frantic. Her heartbeat pounded more erratically now, and-

_ And she felt a feeling that was not hers.  _

She suddenly jumped in the space in front of her, and turned around to face her comrades with a ferocity and  _ growled. _

_ NONE of you touch ANY of them!  _ She commanded, and she felt a wash of security flow through her. She abruptly stopped growling.

These feelings she were experiencing right now, was definitely  _ not  _ hers. Normal Fareeha would just walk out of the room while the job would be completed by the other wolves. Never would she take the side of Angels-

_ Except Angela’s. _

_ Oi, Pharah! What are you doing!  _ Lena questioned. The wolves behind her all growled back at Fareeha. Fareeha’s eyes widened.

_ I don’t-  _ Another feeling washed through her, and this time it seemed like... desperation. She crouched to the ground and snarled.

_ Stay back!  _

_ What is happening with you, Pharah?  _ A wolf she didn’t know asked.  _ Remember The Blue Massacre? This is the same thing, but- _

At the memory of the Massacre, she howled and her world turned black.

________________

 

“WHURL-HLRHU-hur?”

Fareeha gasped and opened her eyes. She sat up, and realized she was in human form. 

_ Where am I?  _

She looked down and saw that she was only covered by a yellow and white blanket. 

She was lying on a  _ familiar _ beige couch, with a  _ familiar _ window on top of the couch. She looked to the left and saw a  _ familiar _ dining table with what looked like a box of-

_ Froot Loops? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so posting will be erratic. I won't stop posting, but it won't always be every Saturday like before. It's going to be like every normal fanfic, Y'all! So just check in every couple of days.
> 
> Reason? Life, man. Just life.


	6. Mine and Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Archangels and the Lycanthropes clash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the looong wait. I was just dealing with things in life (for like a few months, sigh). Anyways, hope you enjoy.
> 
> (This chapter is a re-upload since my friend deleted it when I wasn't looking... that's why you don't share passwords kids)

_ A few hours ago… _

Angela arrived at the camp, the familiar white tents greeting her. Several Archangels nodded their head as she passed by, but most of them payed her no mind, too busy carrying loads of spears, other weapons, and pieces of wood that Angela recognized as the wood used to assemble stands for spears. 

She walked towards Command, a bigger tent than the rest of the normal tents but still smaller than the Medical Tent. She hoped to find Jack in the tent.

Sure enough, as she approached the tent which had images of golden spears embedded in it, Jack Morrison ducked out of the tent flap, and upon noticing her, gave her a small but curt nod.

“Angela,” he greeted.

“Jack,” she replied. “What on Earth is going on here?”

Angela couldn’t help but notice Jack wince. He turned his head towards the camp, surveying its state. He seemed to be in deep thought before he sighed and turned to Angela.

“War, Angela. There’s going to be war, again.”

“No surprise there, Jack. You told me that. But how do we really know if the wolves are going to-”

“We have a spy,” Jack cut her off. “A werewolf named Jamison. Says he ain’t loyal to the dogs, so he swore allegiance to us.”

Jack’s eyes suddenly turned stormy, his stoic state turning into an angry aura.

“If he isn’t telling the truth, I swear to God I’m going to cut his-”

“ _ Now, now!  _ Little Jack is getting agitated!” A booming voice interrupted Jack this time, and none other than Reinhardt stepped out of the Command tent. His mucles bulged through his extra-large chiton which cut off at the sleeves, displaying his gargantuan biceps. If Angela did not know him, her first perception of him would be the ‘super scary dude who drinks way too much whey protein’.

He glanced at Angela, and beamed.

“ _ Liebling!!”  _ He walked to her, wrapped his huge arms around Angela, and she watched wide-eyed as he lifted her up in the air, not caring to conceal the rapidly-growing grin on her face.

“Reinhardt! How nice it is to see you after all these… years?” Angela furrowed her brow as Reinhardt set her down on the ground gently, conscious to  _ not  _ squash her. “Has it been years already?”

“I’m afraid it has been, Angela. My apologies. Life just carries many surprises!” The grizzled man boomed.

“You got that right,” Angela heard Jack mutter quietly under his breath. She raised an eyebrow at him before she turned her back to him and looked to the camp.

Archangels were all scurrying around carrying supplies such as the ones she saw earlier; the wood and different varieties of weapons. She assumed it was for preparation for the upcoming ‘war.’

“Do you have any idea why-” Angela turned to Jack again, who was frowning at her. “-why the wolves might suddenly just attack us? After all these years of peace, they just decide to throw that all away?”

Jack stroked his chin, as if he was in deep thought.

“To be honest, Angela, no one really knows. Maybe the dogs just came to their senses and remembered that we are mortal enemies. Maybe our dog spy is lying. But we need to get ready nonetheless, because… well, we never know.” He sighed.

“Sir!” An Archangel ran to Jack, threw a quick Angel salute, and stood with his legs tightly together.

“All defenses are prepped and ready. Our wolf spy Jamison said that they’re coming.”

Jack cursed. “So it really is true, then.”

“I guess the only way to find out is to wait, sir,” The Angel huffed.

“Agreed. Thank you Thomas, you are dismissed.” The Angel saluted once more and scampered off to wherever he was headed.

Jack turned to Angela and Reinhardt with a grave look on his face.

“We need to prepare the soldiers. Angela, you must help out in the medical tent. You will be most needed there.”

Angela’s lips quirked.  _ Of course  _ she would be assigned to the medical tent.

“Sure thing, Jack,” she replied, and saluted him before heading off to the familiar white tent. She nodded to Archangels passing by and they just stared at her back. Apparently manners in this situation was nonexistent.

She found the medical tent, and ducked under the covers. Some of the healers were already preparing the white beds that will be no doubt occupied when the battle starts. She heard baby cries in the back room, and she sighed. Babies were always a nuisance to her, what with their crying and whatnot. And, to her dismay, she also had to take care of them because she was the ‘lead healer’ and everything.

Angela approached a healer that was holding up and investigating a glass vial filled with a yellow substance. Nanites. Specifically engineered for Archangel blood, it will only work on Angels and will give them increased healing abilities.

“How is it?” She asked, trying to peer over the healer’s shoulder to get a better look at the nanites.

“It seems, healthy and ready for use. Unless you need to tell me that these things have an expiration date-” The healer turned to her with an eyebrow raised, “-it’s doing well.”

Nanites were a gift from their God, despite their already rapid healing abilities. Well, to be fair, Archangel healing abilities were only increased because of nanites, so getting a little bit more probably won’t hurt.

Actually, it will hurt. An overdose of nanites would result in loss of feeling in major nerves, may increase blood clotting and heart attacks, and also might make you…

Well, just die.

“Good to know,” Angela said, while smiling at the healer. The healer suddenly sported a patch of red on her cheeks. Angela tried not to frown in confusion, instead heading towards the back room of the tent, where the Archangel babies are being kept.

She swiped away the flaps that served as an entrance to the tent, and looked at the babies. They were all cuddled up in pristine white blankets, each one holding a special trinket or charm relative to their families.

All the cots were in neat little rows. The baby beds were horizontal, parallel to each other and the entrance to the baby room. At the back of the baby room stood an old oak table filled with files and papers, no doubt the babies’ information, and a large closet hiding away at the corner. The closet was taller than Angela, and she wondered if she could fit inside it, of course, without the diapers, powder, clothes, towels and whatnot.

She approached a baby who looked to be peacefully asleep, while its neighbor in the bed beside him was wailing loudly. Angela looked at his blonde hair which spilled all over his face, a strand or two locked in between his lips.

She smiled and gently caressed his face, but unfortunately he had woken up.

_ Crap! Crap! Crap!  _ Angela’s eyes widened and she swiped her hand away from the baby as he opened his eyes, blue orbs looking into blue.

_ AWHOOOO! _

Angela’s head snapped to the north, where the wolf howl originated. Sounds of panicking feet, small whimpers, and Archangel call-to-arms could be heard outside of the room, and Angela cursed inwardly.

_ The wolves have arrived. _

She was about to head outside to help the frontlines as a field medic but before she could duck beneath the tent entrance, a face poked in which stopped her in her tracks. She recognized the face as a young, 18 year-old girl who served as an Archangel messenger. She didn’t look quite the part though, what with the bubblegum in her mouth and what looked like strange pink whiskers on her cheeks, her brown hair straying everywhere.. The only Archangel thing about her was the generic white robe, but even the robe had streaks of pink and a picture of a bunny on it.

Angela let it pass.  _ She’s only 18, after all. _

“Ms. Ziegler, uh…” A hand emerged from the tent entrance as well, holding index cards at which the messenger looked down at. 

“Mr. Morrison wants you to stay here and handle things her while the rest of the healers go to the battle. He says-” The girl squints at the paper, and Angela assumed she was trying to read very messy handwriting. Angela stifled a grin.

“-please don’t mind the accent, but he says  _ ‘Angela, stay there. If we must, our injured soldiers will head towards you. I believe you can handle things there. The whole wolf pack is nonetheless at our front door, and I need you to-’”  _ The girl said in a deep mocking voice, trying to imitate Jack. Angela grinned, despite the disrespect that the messenger was giving. It was nice to be silly once in awhile.

“I’m sure you get it. Well, Ms. Lead Healer, I have to go. Good luck on your ‘medic-ing’.” And with that, the messenger’s head disappeared from the tent.

Angela blinked.  _ Medic-ing? What is that? _

She ducked under the entrance to the baby room to the other room, the room prepped with the white cots. The medical tent was now officially deserted.

Angela sat in a cot and sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She could’ve been of a lot more help if she was in the frontlines, not sitting back here, just  _ waiting.  _

Well, she did say that she opted for a job behind the front lines, but this was certainly out of her league. Her visions of battle have changed over the years, also changing her perception of where she was actually needed. The expertise of lead healer Angela Ziegler should be used to its full extent, which meant to her healing as much as possible in the field. It did no use if she sat behind the front lines, awaiting soldiers with the most grave injuries. She believes  _ everyone _ should be able to receive the same treatment under her care, from minor wounds to even the greatest of cuts. Alas, the other healers could handle the small cuts, but Angela could help out as well.

The idea of the frontlines reminded her of something.

Angela had an idea of kind of a strength boost that she wanted to try out on the field. It consisted of nanites and electrolytes together, with a bunch of medicinal ingredients mixed in, and she believed it would result in a spike of massive power. 

She stood up from the cot and walked over to the medicine area in the corner of the room, which had five cabinets and a counter. She opened a cabinet and looked at the different colored vials within, looking for a specific vial.

_ Aha.  _ She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a vial with blue liqui-

_ Wait.  _ She held the vial at eye level, squinting to see the small measurements on the glass.

_ If I remember correctly, I put 500 mL…  _

What she saw now was a mere 100 mL. 

Someone had stolen the rest.

Angela checked around the glass for cracks or anything that could’ve made it spill. Nothing. It couldn’t have tipped over either, as there was a lid which she had made sure been tightly shut. 

She gripped the vial in her hand, while slowly backing up to the cot in which she had been sitting in before. Her knees hit the side of the cot, and it buckled, making Angela flop onto the bed, crestfallen. Her eyes were wide open and mouth agape.

She hadn’t tested it out yet. It was merely a prototype, and she had meant to test it out on someone whose body was strong enough to… resist the side effects if there were any malfunctions. 

If it  _ did  _ work, and the potion fell into the wrong hands…

Angela could only hope that that wasn’t the case. She sighed and relaxed, her chin dipping down towards her chest. She closed her eyes, and told herself to take deep breaths. She was overthinking all of this. 

She shook her head.  _ No, it’s good to think of all possibilities. If- if someone did steal and use the potion, then they’d have to- _

Angela’s ears perked up, and she looked alarmingly at the front of the tent.

_ Bomp-bomp-bomp. _

Her eyes widened, and her heartbeat threatened to pop out of her chest. She looked down at the vial with the blue liquid in her hands, which were now shaking uncontrollably. 

_ Bomp-bomp-bomp. _

Angela looked to the tent walls, which reflected her greatest fear; silhouettes of what looked like lycanthropes.

_ Bomp-bomp-bomp- YIP! _

The soft footfalls stopped, and were replaced by a quick yip. The silhouettes stilled, and Angela’s hair stood on end. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and her eyebrows furrowed.

She needed to take action. Now.

Unfortunately, the only action that could be done at this time was to  _ hide.  _ There was no way she could fight against that much wolves, and much less  _ fight. _

Angela, with the blue potion still in her hand, rushed to the backroom, filled with the Angel babies. She sprinted past the Angel baby that had the blue eyes without a second glance, and dashed behind the large cabinet which stood at the end of the tent, in the corner. She put her back against the cabinet and sank slowly to the floor, hugging her knees.

Fareeha wouldn’t be here to save her now, if worse comes to worst.

_ Or maybe she would. _

Angela heard the front flaps of the tent open. She swallowed, and peeked out from the side of the cabinet. The lycanthropes had only gone through the first set of flaps, and they have yet to enter the room that Angela was in.

She retracted her head from the cabinet and breathed deeply.

_ You’re going to be fine. _

_ Everything is going to be alright. _

_ FWUP! _

Angela heard the flaps to the baby room fly open, and she held her breath unknowingly. 

She heard the wolves pad through the room, and at that moment, Angela realized the motive of their actions.

They were going to kill the babies.

_ NO!  _ Angela cried out helplessly in her mind, and her hand shot up to her mouth, trying to stifle a cry.  _ Don’t… I need to protect them.  _

She heard a low growl coming from one of the wolves. They were going to do it.

_ DON’T!  _ She cried out in her mind, hopelessly hoping that one of them would heed her cry.

“ _ GRRRRRR!”  _

Angela closed her eyes and slammed her head silently against the cabinet, tears running down her cheeks. She was so  _ helpless.  _ Just like when her parents died. These babies would be the same.

Ever since she was little, all she could do was watch from the sidelines, never really helping. Angela hated that; the feeling of helplessness. She  _ wanted  _ to help others, but… but she couldn’t.  She wasn’t capable enough.

Her parents’ death drove her to the edge. She realized what she had wanted to do. To  _ help others.  _ So Angela Ziegler progressed through elementary, high school and university at an alarming rate, finishing all only at the age of thirteen. She developed nanites into a liquid form, for emergency use to be injected whenever needed. Some say she was the reason that the Archangels had won the 76th war, the war that Jack had commandeered, with her exceptional healing skills.

And yet, with her skills, she couldn’t save her parents. And she couldn’t save the babies.

_ You need to do something. _

Angela mustered up courage, and opened her eyes with a new fervor. Her heart beated rapidly, but she ignored the pounding in her chest and leaned to the side to peek at the wolves from the side of the closet.

_ Mein gott… _

There were about twelve wolves, all of varying color of furs. They were all huddled up on one group, save for one, who stood in front of the group, facing them and growling. Angela assumed that this wolf was their leader.

Their ‘leader’ had pitch black fur and- and that was all Angela could see from this view. All she could really see was the backside of the wolf, after all. 

The black wolf growled menacingly again, and snapped its jaws to the direction of one of the Archangel babies- the one Angela looked at.

_ No!  _ Angela cried in her mind.  _ Don’t touch ANY of them! _

The wolf just stared at its comrades, seemingly communicating with them, probably devising some plan to kill the babies quickly and efficiently.

_ But if they did want to kill the babies, they should’ve done so by now. After all, everyone is busy at the front lines… _

_ Schiesse!  _ The lycanthrope plan… it was deviously effective. Angela cursed to herself for not realizing sooner. Their master plan was to distract at the frontlines, and flank to get the babies. 

Angela payed attention to the wolf leader, who growled once again. This time though, the other wolves growled back.

She blinked.

_ What?  _ It seemed like the wolves were having a conflict, the leader against all the rest. 

The pitch-black wolf backed up, acting surprised.  _ Surprised at the retaliation of its comrades?  _

_ Come on,  _ Angela silently pleaded to the black wolf.  _ Don’t give up! Save the babies! _

As if on cue, the leader snarled again, and dropped low to the ground, baring its teeth.  _ Yes!  _

But before Angela could celebrate, a wolf with dark brown fur poked its head out of the massive crowd of bodies, seemingly communicating back to the black wolf.

Then something unexpected happened.

Something that made Angela gasp in both surprise-

-and horror.

The pitch-black wolf howled a great howl, so loud that Angela could hear the sound waves bounce off in every direction. 

Then pitch-black fur blended into a lighter color, getting lighter and lighter-

Until the leader was glowing bright blue.

Angela’s eyes widened, and her heart rate increased even more.

That wolf-

That wolf was-

_ Fareeha. _

As if Fareeha could hear her, she turned her head towards Angela’s direction, and they made eye contact. In that split second, Angela made out all the features of the wolf that made Fareeha Fareeha; the Eye of Horus tattoo, the little crinkles beside her eye; laugh marks. She also saw her blood red eyes and the lust that sparkled on them. No, it wasn’t lust. It looked more of a mix of expectation, excitedness, confidence, and a hint of nervousness. The edge of Fareeha’s mouth slightly curved up, but before Angela could look any further, Fareeha broke the eye contact.

Fareeha turned to her comrades, who were now backing up and whimpering. They were  _ scared  _ of her. Or rather, they were scared of the blue wolf in front of them. 

Fareeha slowly advanced towards the crowd, snapping her jaws. The wolves all backed up, fear reflecting through their eyes. A small brown wolf stopped moving backwards to yip softly at Fareeha, but all Fareeha did was growl, making the petit wolf’s ears flatten against its head and stumble backward.

The small pack reached the baby-room flap, and they stopped there, not wanting to go any further. Fareeha steadily approached them, growling. 

One wolf- one with white fur- strayed from the crowd, growled, and stepped in front to meet Fareeha. They stared each other down. The seconds ticked by, and Angela let out a breath that she did not know she was holding.  _ Maybe they were reaching a compromise, or- _

The white wolf howled and lunged for Fareeha. Fareeha quickly sidestepped, and as the white wolf passed her, sank her teeth into the other wolf’s hide, shaking her head violently back and forth to make sure the attack had hurt.

The white wolf whimpered in pain, and snapped its jaws at Fareeha. Fareeha let go of the white wolf and jumped backwards as the white wolf swiped a paw through empty air.

Fareeha snarled and crouched. The white wolf looked to its side, where Fareeha had bit. There was a disruption in the color of the white wolf’s fur- there was now a flower of red blooming from the bite mark.

Angela’s doctor senses activated.

_ The wound is very deep,  _ she noticed. Blood was gushing out fast, faster than what the common wolf heart would be able to make. If no one helped the white wolf, it would die.

The petit wolf from earlier stepped out of the crowd to go in front of the white wolf protectively, as the white wolf crumpled unhurriedly to the ground, its whimpers the only thing that Angela heard.

The small brown wolf’s eyes bored into the blood-red orbs of Fareeha’s eyes, but not with a glint of intent to harm. It was more of a pleading glint, probably a plead to stop her actions.

Fareeha just bayed at her, and started running towards the small wolf. The brown wolf cried out and ran towards the bundle of wolves by the tent flap that stayed there, immobile. 

The small brown wolf exited out the tent while the small pack of wolves stayed firm as Fareeha descended on them, slowing her gait. The pack of wolves were seemingly protecting the doorway. 

A howl. A yip. A cry. 

The wolf at the front of the pack dropped to the ground like a dead fly, and Fareeha towered over the body, bellowing ferociously at the rest of the wolves. 

She had killed another of her comrades.

Angela’s hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to muffle a cry that had escaped her mouth. She retracted from her peeking, leaning back against the closet once again with her eyes closed.

_ No… _

_ Fareeha wouldn’t… _

_ I mean, she shouldn’t… _

Fareeha had  _ killed  _ one of her comrades. No-

Angela leaned out to the side to look at the white wolf, who lay limp at the ground, its fur bristling in the breeze that billowed through the bottom of the tent. 

She didn’t dare look at what Fareeha was doing now, so she took her head back and resumed her position.

_ Maybe- maybe the blue wolf isn’t Fareeha. _

_ Or maybe, the Fareeha I know isn’t the real Fareeha. _

_ No. Fareeha is sweet, kind, compassionate- _

_ Yet you’ve only met her a few days ago. Maybe you haven’t met the real Fareeha. _

_ No.  _ Two sides of Angela’s mind conflicted with each other, the rational battling with her emotional side.

She felt her gut lurch, and her hand reflexively shot to her stomach. She felt like she was going to vomit.

_ Or maybe this isn’t a feeling of nausea. _

She closed her eyes and felt the silent throbbing in her abdomen. She remembered something she had read in a book about… something about Bonding.

Angela felt it. She told herself to follow her instincts-

_ Thud! _

-and her body immediately lurched back on the cabinet, eliciting a groan from her.

“Grrrrrr…”

Angela’s eyes shot open, realizing what she did. 

_ Scheisse! They know I'm here!  _

She didn't dare peek out of the cabinet, instead thinking why her ‘instincts’ made her fly backwards. Surely her gut didn't want to be Bonded with the  _ cabinet _ … now that would be awkward.

But maybe it was something  _ beyond the cabinet. _

Before Angela could finish her thought, the now-familiar sound of growling interrupted her. 

This is it. The wolves would see her behind the cabinet, and Angela would end up just like her parents. There really was no point.

She sighed, mustered up her courage once again, and peeked out of the cabinet. Fareeha was still there, but this time her head was craned towards Angela.

Her head, along with all the other wolves behind her. 

They all growled at her, save for Fareeha, who instead locked eyes with her, and Angela gasped.

‘ _ Everything’s going to be alright.’ _

__ Then Fareeha turned her attention to the pack of wolves behind her and lunged.

Angela could only watch in a mix of awe, surprise and sickness as the blue wolf started fighting with one of the wolves- a gray colored one. 

While Fareeha was distracted, a dark-brown wolf saw the opportunity and dashed towards Angela, thinking that she was vulnerable. 

Angela quickly racked her brain, thinking of what to do, scenarios playing in her head. She was never one for violence, but this was an occasion that called for it.

Angela blinked, and a blue blur passed her vision, and suddenly the brown wolf was pinned against the wall beside her. Fareeha’s teeth sank into the other wolf’s throat, and the wolf’s movements became feeble, pawing aimlessly in the air.

She heard it all, the grunting and the snarls coming from each wolf. And she also saw the brown wolf make eye contact with her, the light fading from its eyes.

_ Thud. _

Fareeha let its body hit the ground, and its tongue lolled out. Angela stared at the blue wolf in front of her, who in turn stared back.

There were cuts all over Fareeha’s body, red markings riddled all over her sides. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, and she was panting heavily, tired from the ordeal. Although she looked tired, when Angela glanced at her eyes, it was filled with a ferocity like she had never seen before, the presence of determination dominating all of the other emotions she saw in her eyes.

In that moment, Angela knew.

The tugging in her gut led to  _ her. _

Fareeha broke the eye contact and strode calmly towards the other wolves who were looking astonished at the bodies of the dead.

Fareeha seemed to be looking for a challenge, seemed to be thinking  _ ‘Who’s next?’ _

The wolves cowered back inch by inch as Fareeha approached. Some of them threw glances at Angela, then turned to Fareeha, and decided not to take action.

Then they parted. They parted in half, making a sort of pathway to the door. Angela stood from the cabinet and confidently stepped out. Fareeha made an opening for them. Well, Angela thought so.

She walked slowly to Fareeha, who stood static in the middle of the room, as if waiting for her. Angela took deep breaths, a smile playing its way onto her face. Fareeha never ceased to amaze.

Suddenly, the tent flaps separated, and Angela stopped dead in her tracks, the smile vanished. 

A pitch-black wolf emerged from the flaps, very much like Fareeha’s original fur color. It looked to the wolves who cowered away from Fareeha, then to the Archangel babies who were unusually silent, then to Fareeha, and finally, to her.

She gulped. She felt a sense of authority on him, and immediately made the connection that the wolf before her was the lycanthropes’ Alpha.

He padded slowly through the path that the wolves made, his eyes flickering between Fareeha and Angela. Fareeha slowly backed up closer to Angela, and she was glad for the protection.

Fareeha’s head turned to Angela, and when they made eye contact-

 

A whimper escaped through Angela’s mouth and she dropped to the floor, her hands flying up to cup her head. She abruptly felt nauseous, the world spinning beneath her feet.

She blacked out, but then suddenly her vision was clouded with bright light. Angela had the impulse to squint, but nothing happened. The bright white light faded away, and suddenly she was face-to-face with the black wolf, the Alpha. Her head was eye-level with the Alpha, and she felt a vibration in her chest- a growl. 

_ What in the world is happening?  _ She thought to herself. She wanted to shake her head, to awaken herself, but she wouldn’t move. 

_ Fareeha,  _ a voice said in her head. Angela felt a jolt through her body, and the vibration in her chest increased, the sound of growling more intense.

_ Step aside. I know you’re in there, and you need to step aside,  _ the voice consoled again. It was… deep, and had a slight accent to it, one that Angela couldn’t identify. She looked at the black wolf, who had stopped moving and was staring intently at her.

Oh.

_ Oh. _

_ Okay, then Raptora, you need to let us through. Harbouring an Archangel is illegal, you know that. Don’t betray us. _

Angela felt herself growl again, and she wondered who Raptora was. Was it a separate being, or was it just Fareeha’s nickname?

_ I will  _ never.

Angela gasped to herself, and her suspicions were proven correct. She had thought a thought that was not hers, a thought that had a thick Egyptian accent laced to it, a warm, rich timbre tinged to it.

A thought that belonged to  _ Fareeha. _

_ I belong to her, as she belongs to me, and you will not pass. _

The black wolf then howled, the deep howl making Angela shiver. No, she didn’t shiver, but she felt herself do it. It was the howl of an Alpha, and it was common for wolves to feel this way, to feel scared.

But Angela didn’t feel scared.

And neither did Fareeha.

_ Fareeha,  _ Raptora, _ this is your last warning. Move. Aside,  _ the Alpha growled, baring his fangs.

_ No,  _ came the stoic reply.

That was enough to send the Alpha over the edge.

The black wolf lunged towards Fareeha, and she automatically sidestepped and caught the Alpha mid-air, a tactic familiar to her. She threw her head down, slamming the Alpha to the ground. The Alpha whined and wrangled to try to get himself out of her grip, but her jaws didn’t budge. Instead, with every one of his movements, her jaws sank deeper and deeper.

Angela suddenly felt a burning pain on her side, and she heard herself yip in pain, letting go of the Alpha. She staggered backward, glancing at the red spot blossoming on her blue fur.

Not  _ her  _ blue fur. Fareeha’s. Angela was merely experiencing all the same things that her Bonder was.

_ NO!  _ The Alpha commanded, and the wolf that bit her side- another grayish wolf- stepped backwards, bowing its head in shame. 

_ She is mine to deal with,  _ the Alpha finished. He stood up and looked menacingly at Angela- at Fareeha. Fareeha growled back, seemingly agreeing with the Alpha.

_ There is no point, Fareeha. Surrender now. You see, the Angel has already fallen. She would feel no pain. _

Angela’s face panned to the side, where Angela lay. Where  _ she lay. _

She felt her brows furrow.

The woman she was looking at had a lab coat on, and under it a yellow blouse. She had her hair tied in a messy ponytail, her bangs splayed out on the floor. Her eyes were closed, and she lay on her side, like in a fetal position.

Angela blinked. That  _ was her.  _

She felt a feeling of adoration for the woman in front of her, a feeling that was not hers. It was Fareeha’s. Then she felt her heart drop, and a feeling of failure enveloped her.

Angela felt Fareeha’s faith dwindle. The woman she loved was  _ fallen.  _

Fareeha slowly backed up while looking at the body of Angela, wholly confused. Angela felt her confusion, and immediately harboured a surge of confidence.

“Fareeha, don't stop now. I'm here.” Angela thought, hoping that Fareeha would hear.

Fareeha stopped her movements, and froze on the spot.

_...Angela? _

She had an impulse to smile. She, with her previous research on Lycanthropes when she was a child, was now confident. She knew what she was doing, and knew how to do it.

“I'm here, in your head. I can hear all of your thoughts-” 

_ What is the meaning of this?!  _ The Alpha growled and pounced to Fareeha. She narrowaly dodged the attack, thankful for her fast reflexes.

_ A werewolf- _

The Alpha swiped at her with his claw, and Fareeha jumped back.

_ -who is- _

Another swipe. Another jump.

_ -Bonded- _

The black wolf snarled and pounced forward again, reaching out with his claws. Fareeha was not expecting the sudden attack, and only stepped back enough for the Alpha’s claws to rake the side of her snout. She promptly howled before jumping back again when the Alpha attempted to swipe in another attack.

_ -with an Angel?! _

Fareeha’s head reared back, emitting a great howl. Angela noticed a stinging sensation on her cheek, but she was too occupied with trying to think of how to bring down the Alpha to notice anything else.

Fareeha finished her howling and glared intensely at the black wolf in from of her, snarling. The Alpha sat down on its haunches, calmly licking his paw while staring back at Fareeha.

_ It's finished. You need to stop, and let us do our duty,  _ the Alpha ordered. 

Then he broke the intense staring and looked to his comrades. He jutted his chin out towards the side, where the Archangel babies lay.

_ Go get em, bo- _

_ NO! _

The few wolves that started towards the babies stopped abruptly and looked at Fareeha, fear in their eyes. Angela was also inclined to stare at Fareeha if she was actually in control of her senses

Fareeha’s tone sounded different, more firm and commanding. Although Angela made her own inference about how Fareeha used her tone of voice, her suspicions were deemed correct by the other wolves’ thoughts.

_ What is this? _

_ An Alpha command? _

_ So she really is the Alpha. _

The black wolf stared at her in disbelief. Once more, he tried to order the wolves to attack the babies but when Fareeha willed against it, the wolves didn't move.

Her will was beating the black wolf’s.

_ Don't you dare. Don't you do this or you'll end up like your mother!  _ The black wolf growled.

Fareeha lunged, much to the Alpha’s surprise. In his sitting position, he could have done nothing but watch as the blue rage-induced wolf charged towards him.

Fareeha’s fangs buried into the Alphas neck, and he squealed in agony. Then, she twisted her head to the side, not letting go of the neck muscles she held.

_ Riip! _

Angela wanted to gasp and throw up at the same time. She and Fareeha both felt uneasy in their guts.

Fareeha had ripped a part of the Alpha’s neck clean off.

_ AAAGH!  _ The Alpha’s head dropped, and he slunk low into the ground to reduce the strain on what was left of his neck, blood dripping from his wound.

Angela felt Fareeha’s eyes widen.

The Alpha glared from the ground.

_ You DARE attack your Alpha?  _ He growled, nothing but hate in his eyes.

Fareeha stood taller, despite Angela feeling despair.

You  _ DARE attack the daughter of the  _ real  _ Alpha?  _ Fareeha retorted calmly. Angela was surprised. If her mother was the Alpha, did that mean that Fareeha was the actual Alpha?

The black wolf growled again, this time louder, making the wolves nearby him cower backwards away from him.

_ Ana Amari left us all behind. She  _ betrayed  _ us.  _ A pause.

_ Like mother, like daughter.  _

Fareeha snarled and prowled forward, for the black wolf cannot do anything against her if she attacks. The wolf would be dead for sure.

_ I know you're not Fareeha. Maybe not directly her. You are Raptora, an extension of her, her very own ability. Yet, she cannot control it, so you control yourself. Not a true being that has a consciousness, but an imitation of Fareeha, a being that consists of her deepest intents.  _

Angela was now  _ very  _ confused. So this wolf… it  _ wasn't  _ Fareeha?

_ You are made up of her thoughts, and made from the things she truly thinks of. No lies come from you, no fake smiles or emotions, or emotions whatsoever.  _ The Alpha chuckled despite his throat injured beyond repair, to what Angela saw.

_ You are her soul, without a shell to cover your  _ real  _ desires. And now, I understand. _

To Angela’s surprise, the Alpha stood, and she wanted to gasp. The wound on his neck was rapidly healing, half of the damage now disappeared. 

_ Fareeha Amari, daughter of Ana Amari, takes the side of Archangels, and is Bonded  _ with  _ an Archangel herself. Even worse, attacks her Alpha due to said Angel. Therefore- _

The Alpha looked like he was smiling. A very crude smile, though.

_ \- Fareeha Amari is considered a turncoat, and is exiled from The Den. If you still want to root for the Angels, let's see how well they take care of their mortal enemies. _

The Alpha turned his back to her, and motioned for the small pack of wolves to follow him out. The looks on the wolves’ faces ranged from bewildered, to pity, to rage, to hate.

One by one, the wolves all exited the tent. A gray wolf was last to leave, and before he slipped through the flaps of the tent, he glared at Fareeha.

_ Disgrace,  _ he thought silently, then left. Angela felt like her heart had just been pierced, even though she was not the one the wolf was addressing.

“So… who are you?” Angela thought out to the blue wolf whose body she was currently inhabiting. The wolf chuckled.

_ I'm Fareeha, but not directly Fareeha. All will be explained, Angela,  _ she replied.

Then, the wolf crumpled to the ground, and Angela’s world turned black.

  
  


She bolted upright, gasping for air. She groped her body before looking down and sighing in relief, her shoulders dropping. Angela was Angela again.

Angela looked around the room. It appeared to be in the same state it was when she was in Fareeha's body. So she assumed that no time had passed between her blacking out and her waking up. 

She glanced at the black wolf lying limp on the ground and was filled with a renewed sense of urgency. She noticed the other fur-riddled bodies in the room, but she intended to leave the duty of cleaning them up to the other Angels. 

But for now-

Angela walked over and tried to get a grip on the black wolf. She tried to haul it out of the tent, the heavy weight dampening her process. Seeing the unconscious Fareeha made her eye sting a little, but she willed herself to be strong. She  _ needed  _ to be strong for Fareeha. 

She will get her home 

She will get Fareeha home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, title is based off of bonbonbourbon's The Doctor and the Guard because I really didn't have any good title ideas. Go read it, it's the best fic that's out there rn (well, to me)
> 
> Comment if you have any title ideas! My mind is open!


	7. Just the Two of Us (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha finds herself in a familiar setting, yet does not know the unfamiliar feeling of her heart (Part one of two).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so a few things to clarify before we jump in. I understand that this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I think the ending was kind of appropriate, so I cut it off there. Part two will come out soon (if I have the willpower to continue LMAO).
> 
> Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Fareeha rubbed her eyes groggily.

_ She was back at Angela’s house again, huh? What did that mean? _

Why was she back at Angela’s house?

Her head perked up, and she listened for anything that might give away that Angela was home, but no sound echoed through her ears except her own laboured breathing. 

Fareeha was laying along the couch, part of her legs dangling off of the edge because the couch was too small for her. A blanket was covering her, and the now-familiar bowl of Fruit Loops sat awaiting company on the kitchen table. She lay her head back against the armrest of the couch and put up her arm to drape across her eyes in protection of the sun streaming from the windows above the couch.

_ Shit.  _ She remembered the events of before she had blacked out, and attempted to bury her eyes deeper in the crook of her elbow. Raptora had activated, and now, she was back at Angela’s apartment. That meant that whatever had happened, Angela had gotten involved. Even worse, Angela wasn’t home. 

A million scenarios were playing in Fareeha’s head about Angela’s whereabouts. Was the Angel being treated for her wounds somewhere in a hospital or at the Angel den? Or was she just… gone? Gone forever?

No. Fareeha refused to believe that. 

_ It is possible, though,  _ her brain told her. She let her head slump back against the arm of the couch, while rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. 

The other side of Fareeha retaliated with her brain. 

_ Then who brought her to Angela’s house?  _

If all had just went well during the mission, she would be back at The Den, safe and sound. Not here. Not that she wasn’t safe here, but she was hoping that Raptora would play no part during the mission. There was no telling on what it would do, no telling what  _ she  _ would do. No telling what damage it would cause, or what good it would. It was unpredictable, and as much as Fareeha liked challenges, if the lives of her loved ones were at stake, it was not so much as a challenge, more so a risk.

Especially if her Bonder was in the vicinity.

The last time Fareeha saw Angela was when the other woman was walking into her apartment. She suddenly coughed as she recalled the last time she had seen her. It was probably one of the happiest moments of Fareeha’s life, as well as the last she would have with her. If Fareeha was in Angela’s home, that meant Angela had to be in the Angel den at the same time she was. They must have made contact or something, done something to make Fareeha end up-

Fareeha’s stomach grumbled, and was soon followed by a grumble coming out of her mouth. Of  _ course  _ she was hungry, but she was also glad for the distraction from her thoughts. Thanks, Raptora. 

She threw aside the blanket and swung her legs to the side of the couch, standing up and stretching, until suddenly plopping back down on the couch and covering her chest.

_ She was  _ **_naked_ ** _!  _ **_Again!_ **

The only things she sported were white bandages wrapped around her chest area, her sides, a few on her abdomen and legs and a small one at the base of her neck. She was still wearing her boxer shorts though. She sighed in relief and annoyance.

_ So much for hoping for a good outcome.  _

Noticing her wounds, she felt slight stings under the parts of where the bandages lay. Not unbearable, but ‘stings’ were clearly an understatement. Fareeha had gotten wounds worse than these, though, so she was certainly no stranger to pain.

Trying to ignore the rumbling in her stomach, she wrapped the hastily-thrown blanket around her head like a hood, the ends of the blanket falling past her shoulders, covering most of her chest. Well, the bandages did most of the work of covering her… areas, so she didn’t worry much.

Fareeha made her way to the table, her footsteps silent as expected of a trained ex-soldier. She sat in one of the already-outstretched wooden chairs and noticed that there were already bowls and utensils set on the table. She reached for the box of Fruit Loops-

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were awake yet!” 

Fareeha’s eyes darted to the bedroom door, and heard herself gasp. There, at the bedroom door stood a shyly-smiling Angela. Her jaw dropped. She  _ was  _ alive. Alive and well. Alive and hopefully not sporting the same wounds Fareeha had sustained. She quickly scanned the other woman for any injuries-

Her breath hitched when she saw what she was wearing. 

Angela was wearing an oversized white t-shirt (that looked  _ way  _ too similar to the shirt that Fareeha had been previously wearing) and nothing but red panties underneath. Fareeha’s face heated up and she threw her head to the side, looking at anything other than Angela while blushing furiously.

“I- I- it- it’s fine...” Fareeha stuttered and mustered enough courage to steal a glance at Angela, who was now looking at her bare toes with a red tint on her face and an embarrassed smile. She remembered what the other woman was wearing and quickly looked away again.

“Oh, how rude of me. Please, help yourself while I change,” Angela quickly said, and turned around to head back to the bedroom.

“Wait!” Fareeha cried, and then clamped her jaw shut. Angela looked back at her at the sudden outburst. Fareeha was suddenly very interested in her twiddling thumbs. “You… you don’t need to change. You look… I mean, what I mean to say is you look good.”

The burn on Fareeha’s face intensified as she felt the gaze of Angela. A few seconds ticked by, and when she heard the sound of a chair sliding against the wood floor, she looked up to see the Angel settling herself on the chair opposite of Fareeha, also reaching for the box of Froot Loops.

“I guess it’s decided, then.” Angela smiled coyly and slid the box of Froot Loops over to Fareeha. She caught it effortlessly before it could fall of the table. She poured a generous amount into her bowl while muttering something incomprehensible. 

“What was that,  _ liebe?”  _ Fareeha’s head hung lower and her shoulders dropped in lieu of being caught. Her red-tinged cheeks angled upwards to catch Angela’s soft gaze, then dropped towards her bowl of overflowing Froot Loops. She quickly set the box on the table while muttering silent apologies for messing up the table which was now riddled with specks of green, orange, purple, red and yellow Froot Loops. 

“Fareeha, love, it’s fine,” Angela consoled, reaching across the table to place her hand on top of Fareeha’s shaking ones. 

“Redluksgudunyu,” Fareeha whispered. Angela’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What was that?”

Fareeha locked her jaw and the red on her cheeks became more prominent. She stood up straight and cleared her throat, making quite a show of what she was about to say next.

“Red… Red looks good on you.”

Angela raised her eyebrows, her heartbeat faltering. It faltered, until you can suddenly hear the quick  _ buh-thump-buh-thumps  _ of her heart in realization of Fareeha’s words. 

“I- well, that certainly wasn’t the first time I’ve heard that,” Angela commented. Fareeha continued to look down in embarrassment, and even Angela was surprised at her own words.

“-but that was the only time that it really mattered.”

Fareeha’s head suddenly snapped upwards, making eye contact with Angela. Angela smiled coyly.

“I've also never heard that about my  _ underwear. _ ” Fareeha’s eyes widened at what Angela was implying, that she was the first to see…  _ this. _

“W-well, Ms. Ziegler, I certainly won’t take that for granted then,” she replied, trying to act as coolly as possible. Angela blushed a shade of darker red, but still beamed at Fareeha. Fareeha couldn’t help but smile back at the doctor, after all, her smile was quite infectious.

_ When she’s happy, I am happy. _

“Oh right! Please, help yourself. I’m sure you’ll need it,” Angela said, pulling her hand away from Fareeha’s to gesture at the bowl of her untouched cereal. Fareeha tried to suppress a whine at the loss of contact, instead looking down and silently cursing herself for being sidetracked easily. She needed information about what had happened in the Den. Judging by Angela’s character, nothing serious had happened to her, but there was still the question of how much damage she inflicted in total.

Remembering the bowl of Froot Loops, she quickly dug in but with a less ferocity than the last time she had eaten at Angela’s apartment. Eating was now not at the forefront of her mind.

“So… doc. I assumed you patched me up?” Fareeha asked between bites, trying to stay nonchalant.

“Yes. The least I can say is that you’ve sustained quite the number of injuries. I’ve taken care of them all, and they seem to be healing at an accelerated rate, so there is nothing to worry about.” Angela then looked down, a smile hidden away from Fareeha’s line of sight. She had reminisced about something, and Fareeha was not able to see or wonder what it was.

“Ah. I see.”

Fareeha ate in relative silence, as Angela didn’t eat, leaving her bowl untouched. She thought about how to start ‘interrogating’ Angela about what happened. Was it okay to ask Angela if she saw a blue wolf running around, most likely murdering her fellow Angels? Did Raptora repeat The Blue Massacre? Did she- 

Did she harm any of  _ her  _ fellow wolves?

“A penny for your thoughts,  _ schatz?” _

Angela’s voice took Fareeha out of her thoughts, and she looked up to the doctor who was looking at her with a worried look on her face. Fareeha inhaled deeply, then sighed. This is it. This is the time to ask. She just needed to muster up her courage, and thrust herself into the unknown.

“Nothing of the matter. Just thinking that shirt is strangely similar to the one I was wearing when I last saw you.” Fareeha’s eyes widened, surprised at the words that had come out of her mouth. She meant to ask questions, dammit! Strangely enough, Fareeha suspected it was a matter of instinct that led her to say that. Perhaps it was wise to let Angela… mull over the events that must’ve happened. Perhaps she was traumatized, and the only thing Fareeha would be doing would be triggering it. But then again, Angela didn’t look quite fazed. She looked as if nothing had happened at all.

The other woman looked down, embarrassed. Two pale hands appeared from the bottom of the table to fiddle on the surface of it. 

“Um,” Angela blurted out. Fareeha raised her eyebrows, still waiting for a response. Angela’s fiddling intensified (Fareeha asked herself if fiddling can really intensify or if she was just seeing things).

Angela took a deep sigh, much like what Fareeha had did earlier.

“It is, in fact, yours.”

Fareeha’s jaw dropped, and she felt her heart pulse erratically. Realizing that the shirt Angela was wearing that was too big for her was in fact  _ hers  _ made a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. A fuel. A drive to do something, and Fareeha had a vague idea of what that  _ something  _ was. Curse the Alpha wolf side of herself.

She recollected her thoughts and forced her jaw to operate again, determined to keep her cool. Little did she know that Angela noticed her little emotion break.

“Wait- how did you even get my shirt? Not that I'm complaining…” Fareeha asked, staring dumbly at the familiar white shirt that was too big for Angela. This was it. Now she’d get to the real questions(but she had to admit, the shirt did look good on her).

Angela looked down, and retracted her hands from Fareeha’s to fidget nervously on the table, her eyebrow crinkling in thought. Fareeha subconsciously clenched her fist. That meant Angela  _ did  _ get involved with whatever happened, and Fareeha’s deepest fear was in fact, reality.

Before Angela could answer, Fareeha stood and walked over to the other woman, her bowl of colorful cereal forgotten. Angela looked up to her with wide eyes.  _ God _ , she looked at her with her sparkling blue eyes. Eyes, that to Fareeha, looked scared. Looked afraid. Fareeha felt her confidence shrink. Angela looked like she was afraid of  _ her _ .

She reached out and took Angela’s fiddling hands, interrupting them from their plight. One of Fareeha’s hands was enough to cusp the two of Angela’s, the other hand reaching towards the other woman’s face. She brushed away a stray blonde strand, placing it behind the Angel’s ear.  Her fingers ghosted along her cheek.

“Look,  _ ya amar.  _ I don’t know what happened, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all that happened. If-” Fareeha’s voice cracked, but she regained her composure and continued. “-if anything happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with it. Wolves have purpose. They are loyal, and they are protectors. Without anything to protect, I’d be useless.”

She clenched her jaw. She mentally prepared herself for the outburst that was to come as she uttered her next words.

“ _ I  _ wouldn’t have a purpose, if my soulmate died.”

Angela blinked, and stared at her. Fareeha’s eyes darted down in embarrassment, but they looked back up to Angela’s blue orbs as she felt the other woman nuzzle against her hand, the one that was still gently caressing her face.

“You must be an idiot if you think I didn’t know that already,” Angela simply stated, her eyelids closing. Fareeha gaped at her.

“You knew?!”

“I felt it too. Out of all people, a werewolf should know their own properties. The Bond goes both ways,  _ schatz. _ ” Angela opened her eyes again and looked straight through Fareeha’s soul, but not in a menacing way. Her eyes seemed like it was more… tired. Tired and disappointed (it was a look that Fareeha would be more accustomed to in the future).

“Although I may feel a tug weaker that you may have felt, it’s still there. A bridge cannot close off one side.” Fareeha blinked at Angela. She was spouting new information that had never occurred to her. She should have payed more attention to Gabriel and the oldies when they were counseling her about, to the knowledge of Fareeha, ‘werewolf stuff’.

The room was silent, Fareeha in thought. How did Angela know all of this?

“Have you experienced it before?” Fareeha asked, noting the panicked glance Angela gave her.

“I-” Angela sighed. “In order to explain it, perhaps I should retell the previous events. A little bird told me you wouldn’t remember.”

So Angela did just that, telling everything from hearing the wolves’ footsteps from outside the tent to when she had seen ‘that weird man from the coffee shop wearing the most ridiculous cowboy hat’ in the forest while she was busy dragging Fareeha’s wolf body to her car. Apparently, Jesse had helped her get Fareeha to the car, giving Fareeha’s clothes along to Angela. There were only a few little tidbits that Angela had left out. She thought it would be for the other woman’s good.

“He’s a werewolf too, you know,” Fareeha commented, her arms now crossed with one hand scratching her chin in thought. Angela suddenly slammed her hands on the table, making Fareeha flinch.

“I should’ve known! And here I am, an idiot believing he was just at the right place, at the right time!”

Fareeha laughed at the doctor’s antics. “Not everyone is perfect.”

Angela glared at her. 

“Yes, thanks for rubbing that in, Fareeha.”

Fareeha raised her hands up as if she was getting arrested, a coy smile playing on her lips.

“I did say  _ not everyone _ . That includes you, Angel.”

A red tinge blossomed on Angela’s cheeks, and Fareeha smirked knowingly. Damn, her game was getting pretty good.

“I- well- oh just shut up,” Angela stuttered, burying her head in her hands, elbows propped up on the table. Fareeha squinted at a purple spot on Angela’s elbow. Her eyes widened. It looked like a bruise.

Her hand whipped out and grabbed the other woman’s wrists, inspecting it carefully. Angela yelped in surprise, but could do nothing to withstand Fareeha’s iron grip.

“What- what are you doing?” Angela asked, flustered. She felt strangely exposed to the other woman, then felt her face heat up even more from her wild thoughts.  _ No, bad Angela! _

Fareeha’s mind didn’t quite pick up Angela’s question. It was too busy processing the two purple blotches on the Angel’s elbows, and a small cut on her palm.

“ _ What. Happened,”  _ Fareeha growled, making Angela bury herself deeper into her seat, her wide eyes looking back at the brown eyes of Fareeha, which usually reflected a calm, soft manner but now emitted a ferocity that was similar to when Fareeha was in wolf form. Angela gulped at the realization.

“Nothing major, just a small fall and-”

“ _ Don’t  _ hook me up with that bullshit, Angela. Tell me what  _ really  _ happened!” Fareeha snarled, her grip tightening on Angela’s wrist. She winced slightly at the pain, but gritted her teeth.

“You did NOT do this, Fareeha! Calm down! I fell, okay?” Angela sniffed. “I fell, and before I saw you, I had to reach blindly in a cabinet full of vials. I must have cut myself or something!” She snapped. Fareeha blinked rapidly, and her grip on Angela’s wrist slackened. She quickly retracted her hand from Angela’s, and gingerly held it with her other one, looking at it as if it were some alien specimen.

“I’m- Angela, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened-” Angela cut her off with a shake of her head, rubbing her wrist vigorously. 

“It is fine, Fareeha. Another aspect of Bonding. Wolves turn out more protective to their Bonder than other people.”

“No, Angela, I’m _ really _ sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out like that. I don’t understand anything yet, and I’m really sorry, and I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost you-” This time, Fareeha was cut off by a finger wiping away a wetness in her eye that she did not know was there. She stared at Angela, dumbfounded, while the Angel wiped away the tear, eyebrows furrowing in concentration, blue eyes blazing bluer than ever.  _ Beautiful. _

Once she was satisfied, Angela sighed and retracted her hand, clasping it together with her other hand, now staring at an imaginary item across the table.

“I don’t mind. But you need to promise me one thing-” Angela looked straight at the Egyptian, whose hands were at her side, eyes displaying worry.

“You need to trust me.”

Fareeha looked down, jaw clenching and unclenching (Angela found it kind of hot). She didn’t know what to say.

“It’s dangerous, what we both do, what we both  _ are.  _ We are rivals, at least, we are supposed to be,” Angela clarified. “I want you to trust me. I  _ need  _ you to trust me. Because, of what we are, we can die at any moment. If there comes a moment between life and death, I need you to trust me-”

“I entrust you with my life, Angela.” Angela looked up, surprised at Fareeha. Fareeha’s face looked like it was set in stone, radiating a stoic demeanor. Her eyes reflected determination as she looked at Angela’s, her voice unwavering and confident. 

“I swear to protect you, in life or in death, whenever, wherever. I swear that I will be there when you need me. I swear that whatever happens to us in this life, good or bad, I will stand by your side, forever and always. As you command me to trust you, I merely request that you trust me, for both our sakes. I will gladly die for you, but if you ever did that before me-” Fareeha choked on her words. “I… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

Angela stared wide-eyed at her soulmate, her heart fluttering with a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time, her eyes stinging. She restrained herself from crying, and instead managed to utter out a sentence.

“You… you  _ do  _ know that Lycanthrope oaths cannot be broken-”

“I am well aware. If I break it, I die.” Fareeha smiled a sad smile that seemed to break Angela’s heart. “Guess we’re in this ‘til the end then, huh?”

Angela’s eyes turned downcast as she took in what had happened. She looked back at Fareeha, her stoic demeanor disappearing behind her small crooked smile. 

Angela’s eyes closed as she tried to fight back tears. She stood and leaned her head on Fareeha’s chest, raising a fist to bang on Fareeha’s chest lightly. Fareeha felt her bandages get soaked, yet she merely looked down curiously at the Angel pounding at her chest. She had incorporated her other fist, and they were now punching her chest, but light enough so as that it didn’t hurt. Fareeha questioned if it was because Angela didn’t want to hurt her or if she was just weak.

“You idiot, idiot, idiot! How could you be such an idiot…” Fareeha smiled sadly at Angela’s words. They were in this together now.

“It’s just my nature,  _ habibti. _ ”

Fareeha raised her hand to caress Angela’s hair to comfort her, but instead it lingered inches from its destination, her fingers hesitant. 

_ No,  _ Fareeha thought as she willed her fingers to comb through Angela’s gorgeous blonde hair, her other arm wrapping around Angela’s waist as she pulled her closer. Closer, until their bodies were flush, and Fareeha could  _ feel  _ Angela’s uneven breaths. She placed a kiss on her forehead, and set her chin on top of Angela’s head while continuing to massage the crying Angel’s scalp softly.

They were in this together, now. Nothing would separate them,  _ nothing.  _ Fareeha swore she would protect her, and she  _ will.  _

Fareeha felt Angela nuzzle her nose at the crook of her neck, her previously punching fists now wrapping around the small of Fareeha’s back. She smiled.

Fareeha only knew one thing for sure. She kissed Angela’s forehead again and let her lips linger there as she whispered her final promise;

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things:
> 
> 1\. Do you guys like the length of this chapter, or do you prefer the longer ones? If I do incorporate shorter chapters, then chapter updates may come out faster. I don't know man, y'all choose!  
> 2\. I was SCREAMING to myself at the end!!! It was dead at night and my family heard me though, so that wasn't fun...
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! You don't know how much it means to me. Just reading over the comments make my crappy days, so thank you.


	8. Just the Two of Us (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angela appreciates even the smallest of comforts fate gives her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I'm pretty sure this chapter didn't come out after a month... so let's call that 'progress'. Seven page chapters here we go!! 
> 
> Snuggle in with a blanket, and enjoy.

 Angela knew Fareeha could probably hear her heart beat faster than the speed of light.

Pressed up against her, it was… certainly something else. She felt the heat radiating off of the other woman, and the stiffness of her body after being accustomed to battle. She felt the steady inhales and exhales she took, and most prominently, she felt her gentle fingers lovingly caress her hair.

This was heaven to her.

Angela wrapped her arms around Fareeha’s waist in an attempt to pull the Egyptian closer. She breathed in the musk smell of the other woman, smelling like dirt… and grime… and blood, with a hint of tree bark (she made a mental note to make Fareeha shower soon).

The other woman didn’t object to her actions, and Angela smiled softly at the thought. She wiped her tears on Fareeha’s bandages, knowing that she’d have to change it soon anyway.

Fareeha was such an idiot.  _ Is  _ an idiot. To swear to her all these things? To trust a near stranger with her life? Was  _ this  _ how much Fareeha had trusted her? Angela was honored, but she couldn’t help thinking how reckless it was. If Angela didn’t convey the feelings she felt to the other woman… Fareeha would be in deep trouble. But maybe Fareeha saw through that. Maybe she  _ knew  _ that Angela would feel the same way towards her. After all, they were Bonded, or as Fareeha had called it, ‘soulmates.’

Angela looked up at Fareeha briefly to try to read her expression. The traces of the intensity of her brown eyes just moments before had completely vanished, now replaced with doe-eyed adoration. The familiar calmness and softness in it made Angela’s heart flutter, and she quickly buried her head into the crook of Fareeha’s neck to try to hide the blush that was creeping onto her face. 

Angela had feared a reaction that was common in all of her lovers; some sort of tiredness or sickness, as if Angela was some sort of baby that they couldn’t bear to take care of. Angela couldn’t blame them. Constant shifts in her hospital made it very hard for her and her lovers to meet, much less make time for dates. Fires that had sparked in the beginning of relationships quickly burned out, and it left Angela in ashes, trying to piece her life back together heartbreak after heartbreak. Perhaps it was because of her job that made her relationships not work. Perhaps it was because she always seemed ‘out of it’ during rare date nights. Perhaps it was because Angela wasn’t able to succumb to their own personal desires. Or, perhaps, it was just because of Angela as a person. Who wanted a blonde doctor who ranted at every given moment anyway? Who always talked about herself or work, who locked herself in her room at any free hour, devoting herself to her research and  _ only  _ her research? From Angela’s experience,  _ no one  _ wanted her.

So she stayed away from the action for a little while. She focused on her experiments, her studies, her duties for the Archangels and sometimes for herself. Stashes of merlot were hidden around her apartment, ready at any given moment she needed a small comfort. In fact, that was all she needed. Small comforts. Was that too much to ask?

All her life, she had wanted small comforts. She praised small pats on the back for her work, small kind gestures as a thank you to her work, and she did so ever since she was a child. Although, her true desire was for  _ someone  _ to provide her with these small comforts.

Angela nuzzled her nose deeper into Fareeha’s neck.

Small comforts like  _ these. _

“Angela?” 

Angela smiled warmly, unbeknownst to Fareeha’s gaze. She reluctantly pulled away from the other woman’s touch, wiping away some of the wetness in her eyes.

“I’m fine,  _ schatz.  _ It’s just… that hit me harder than you can ever imagine. I…” Angela’s voice trailed away as she felt a warm but calloused hand cup her chin gently. The hand tipped her head upwards so that she could meet the hard and steady gaze of the Egyptian.

“Angela, I just want you to know that I trust you. I apologize if this makes things complicated, or…” Fareeha paused to find her words, her eyes darting to the side for a moment. “Or if this isn’t to your liking. But this is how I feel, and it is what fate has given us, so-”

“Fareeha, listen,” Angela cut her off, and Fareeha’s eyebrows furrowed, mouth agape. 

“Ever since I was a kid, I was lonely. My parents left me at a very young age, and my nannies never took any effort in taking care of me, only doing the bare minimum to make sure they were getting their paycheck from a girl’s dead parents. My… romantic partners in the past never really cared for me, only wanting to date so they could have it their way. But, as a doctor, I have very tight schedules, which would leave no time for them. So they left. One by one.” Angela held Fareeha tighter to her chest.

“I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re kind and honest, and even though the Fates have decided for us to be together when we’ve never even met, I’m glad to have met you, even if it was under poor circumstances. So you can say that I was caught off-guard when you confessed to me.” Angela sighed. “I’ve never really had someone who genuinely cared for me.”

Fareeha’s jaw went slack, then hearing Angela take a deep breath, she quickly regained her composure and snickered.

“Who says I didn’t want my way with you?”

Angela pulled away to smack her on the arm, a smile on her features while she wiped away  a stray tear.

“I’m a doctor, Fareeha. Even if you still think that I did not want my way  _ with you, _ I still know my way around the human body.” Angela wagged her eyebrows, and Fareeha couldn’t deny that she was in the slightest bit aroused. 

Fareeha cleared her throat to try to clear her thoughts, and she walked back over to her chair and sat in it to finish her Froot Loops, all the while staring at Angela who was beaming at her triumphantly.

“I’m not complaining, doc,” Fareeha smiled. Angela pursed her lips, leaned forward, grabbed a Froot Loop that was resting on the table from the mess that Fareeha made earlier (one that Fareeha had failed to pick up) and flicked it to Fareeha’s face. The werewolf laughed and effortlessly caught the cereal before it made contact. 

“Call me Angela. No ‘doc’ or whatever, please!” Angela squealed as she narrowly dodged the very same Froot Loop she had thrown, Fareeha doubling over in laughter. Angela’s head reappeared in Fareeha’s line of sight, her hair slightly disheveled. It was quite cute actually-

“You didn’t dare,” Angela accused. Fareeha crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, over her forgotten bowl of Froot Loops, smirking.

“What if I just did, hmm?” She leaned further forward. “And what are  _ you  _ going to do about it? You should really be more aware of yourself.”

Angela scoffed.

“You can patch up your own wounds, for a first,” she replied. Fareeha laughed, relinquishing her intimidating gaze, instead leaning back and placing her elbow on the top of the backside of the chair, closing her eyes and relaxing.

“Got me there. Last time I had patched up my wounds, it was-” A sharp sting on her cheek interrupted her, and she looked incredulously at the doctor. 

“Did you just-?”

Angela smirked.

“I’m afraid I just did,  _ meine liebe _ .” 

Fareeha hid a smile.

 She grabbed a handful of the stray Froot Loops on the table and threw them at the unsuspecting Angel, a full-blown grin now on her face.

“Barrage incoming!” She exclaimed, and Angela screamed as she ducked beneath the table, but not fast enough as a few pieces skidded across the top of her head. She peeked at the other woman’s legs under the table, and blushed as she realized what she was wearing; just the boxer briefs. She smirked.

She found a weakness.

Sneaking under the table away from Fareeha’s line of sight, she grabbed the tip of the blanket that was hanging off of Fareeha’s shoulders and pulled. The other woman seemed unfazed by it, instead crouching so she would be face to face with Angela. Angela, who was clutching onto the blanket for dear life, all the while staring smugly at Fareeha.

“What? Feeling insecure? I already told you, red looks-” Fareeha got cut off as she was introduced to a mouthful of blanket. Angela had thrown the blanket to Fareeha to act as a cover so she could proceed with her ‘plan’.

“Augh!” Fareeha stood up from her crouching position to attempt to take off the blanket, but while she was busy doing that, Angela slipped out of the table and behind Fareeha.

Meanwhile, Fareeha had successfully taken off the blanket and was flapping it wildly in the air, presumably to rid of the dust or whatever there may be on the blanket. She assumed that the doctor was still under the table, so she spoke while she flapped.

“I don’t know what you wanted to achieve by that. I thought we were going by a Froot Loops-only policy! Well then, doc, I’m afraid to tell you to prepare yourself-”

She got cut off once again as pale arms snaked around her waist and thumbs slipped under the waistband of her shorts. Her breath hitched again.  _ What the fu-! _

Fareeha was now keenly aware of the feeling of a soft breeze along her neck, akin to that of a breath. 

“Mm, I think you should be the one who should be, how did you put it? Ah, yes, ‘more aware’,” a voice with a Swiss accent tinged to it pealed from behind her. Fareeha sighed in defeat. So  _ that  _ was why Angela had thrown the blanket at her. A mere distraction.

“Before you get your way with me, doctor, please know I’d like you to buy dinner first. This is certainly a few steps too forward,” Fareeha teased, then tensed right after she felt Angela’s thumbs tug slightly downwards, her shorts going along with it.

“You are treading in high waters, my love!” Angela was no doubt smiling behind her.

“And what exactly do you want me to do in this situation?”

“Surrender.”

“To what?”

“To me.”

Fareeha felt heat on her cheeks as she realized what Angela meant. She also then felt the presence of heat on her neck, where Angela’s face was currently resting on.

“I mean! I didn’t mean it that way-” Angela was cut off by a string of her very own German curses. Fareeha found it quite cute. “I meant surrender the Fight of the Froot Loops! I do not look forward to be constantly pelleted by pieces of pure sugar with every waking second you stay with me!”

It was Fareeha’s turn to smirk as she heard the doctor’s mistake.

“I wouldn’t be complaining if I did submit to you, doctor- in that other way.”

The heat on her neck increased, and Fareeha knew she had the desired effect.

“In fact, haven’t I already?” she continued.

A few seconds of silence passed, until a smack on Fareeha’s shoulder broke it.

“I don’t know what to do with you anymore. Just promise to not throw any Froot Loops!” Angela exclaimed, much to Fareeha’s surprise. She just grinned. Fareeha Amari was not one to give up.

“Alright, alright. You got me. I, Fareeha Amari, do solemnly swear to not throw pieces of pure sugar with ‘every waking second that I stay with Angela’ to Angela,” she announced with a hint of pride on her voice. She even lifted her fist up to her heart to emphasize her oath. Angela sighed in relief, then proceeded to unhook her thumbs from Fareeha’s waistband.

But before she could remove her fingers completely, Fareeha abruptly turned around and placed her hands on Angela’s hips. Angela’s jaw dropped.

“Fareeha, what are you doing- FAREEHA-!” 

The ex-soldier lifted Angela into the air, then charged towards the couch, laughing maniacally while Angela squealed- in delight or surprise, Fareeha didn’t know.

Her knees hit the side of the beige cushions and they buckled. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact while still holding Angela securely.

“Oof!”

Fareeha’s back then made contact with the cushions, so that she was lying down like she was when she first woke up. The only difference was the weight on top of her. She dared to peek an eye open, and her breath hitched yet again.

A blonde Angel was straddling her hips, all the while smirking devilishly at her, squirming around in her ‘seat’ eagerly.

“Not so confident now are you, Ms. I-can-do-anything?” Angela raised an eyebrow and grounded her hips down onto Fareeha’s. She groaned at the increased contact.

“I- I’m not always confident, but I  _ am  _ confident that I can flip you over in one move,” Fareeha replied, returning the smirk. Angela’s face quickly fell and her jaw dropped as she glanced worriedly at the empty floor beside the couch.

“You wouldn’t…”

Fareeha smirked.

“Would I?”

The next few moments were met with comfortable silence, Angela gawking at the smug face of the woman beneath her, all the while preparing herself mentally if she were ever to be flipped over onto the nice, comfortable space of her hardwood floors.

Fareeha’s smirk was replaced with a crooked grin, and her right hand reached up to brush a stray strand of blonde hair behind Angela’s ear.

“I wouldn’t. I actually would, but this is  _ you _ we’re talking about.” Fareeha sighed dramatically and raised her other hand to her forehead as if she was a damsel in distress. “Oh, you’re so lucky to have such a _ sweet _ soulmate-”

“Sh-shut up!” Angela swatted Fareeha’s forehead lightly and was rewarded with a deepthroated laugh. Despite Angela’s rapidly reddening face, Fareeha looked at her seriously.

“In all seriousness, though. I’d do anything for you, or not do anything, for that matter. Just like I said earlier. It’s all for you. Now that I have a mate, my life will change… because of you. And…” Fareeha laughed quietly into her fist. “And I ought to not turn this into another sappy speech again, so I’ll just leave it at that.”

Brown orbs searched for a glimmer of emotion in the soft cobalt orbs, but all Fareeha found was a quivering bottom lip.

Angela suddenly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Fareeha’s neck, Fareeha’s eyes widening. The Angel on top of her hugged her tighter, and Fareeha felt a wetness grow on her shoulder. She snapped out of her bewildered state and raised a hand to stroke Angela’s back to try to soothe her. Was it something she said? Did she screw up or something?

Angela meant to say something but it came out as muffled with her lips against Fareeha’s shoulder bandages.

“What was that,  _ ya amar _ ?” Fareeha mentally facepalmed as she let the term of endearment slip from her own lips. Hopefully the good doctor didn’t know any Arabic.

Angela just replied with a shake of her head, clutching tighter to Fareeha’s neck as if she was a lifeline in an ocean of whatever the hell she was dealing with.

Fareeha’s eyes furrowed but she let the moment pass. For now, the only thing on her mind was the Angel literally  _ on her.  _

A few minutes passed and Angela’s breathing became patterned, announcing that she was sleeping. Fareeha smiled and stroked her hair again. 

Raising a small fist in victory while thinking that she was a good (and successful) pillow was the last move Fareeha Amari made before kissing her Bonder’s forehead, whispering  _ ‘sweet dreams’  _ and letting sleep take her along.

________________

 

_ Angela buried her head onto the space between Fareeha’s chest and the crook of her neck, nuzzling her nose in it affectionately. She meant to hide her tears, but by the way Fareeha stiffened when the first of her teardrops made contact with her shoulder, she already knew. _

_ Angela decided that she couldn’t hide anything from the Egyptian. They wouldn’t hide anything from each other anymore. _

_ Unbeknownst to Fareeha, Angela smiled sadly into the musk of the other woman despite her tears.  _

_ There would be no secrets. So she would make a minor announcement to the other woman. _

_ She buried her nose deeper into Fareeha’s neck. She felt safe. She  _ was  _ safe. Now, and forevermore. _

_ “Ich liebe dich.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. That's the end of the chapter. Yeah. Oh my god.


	9. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha tries to reconciliate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm defying my 7-page chapter rule... But hey, more for you guys, so it's cool!

_ “Mom?” _

_ A figure materialized in front of the darkness of her dream; the image of a young Ana Amari. Her hair was still jet-black, and she wore the uniform of that an Egyptian army commander, her beret slightly askew. _

_ Ana smiled. _

_ “Fareeha,  _ habibti.  _ Look where you are now. I’m so proud of you.” The woman walked closer to her vision, and Fareeha watched as a younger version of herself materialized in front of her as well, running into her mother’s outstretched arms. _

_ Young Fareeha had just won her first basketball medal, along with an MVP one, clutching the medals tightly to her blue basketball jersey. Fareeha smiled at the memory. _

_ “Mom…” Young Fareeha looked up and down at Ana’s figure, seemingly taking in her clothes. “You’re leaving again?” _

_ Ana sighed and kneeled so that she was eye-level with the nine-year-old Amari. Her eyes sparkled sadly, and she cupped her daughter with one hand. _

_ “Yes. I will come back-” Ana’s eyes widened as Young Fareeha instantaneously wrapped her arms around her neck, crying slow tears into her mother’s hair. _

_ A cargo bag suddenly appeared beside Ana, as well as her infamous rifle wrapped around her shoulders. The darkness slowly began to ebb away, and Fareeha could see the remains of what looked like her old home, clean and tidy from her mother’s spartan behaviour. A couch by the window, a table at the other end of the room, Fareeha’s closed bedroom door and Ana’s open one, telling Fareeha that she was just about to leave. _

_ “Don’t… go,” Young Fareeha croaked out, sniffling hardly. Her mother just grinned warmly. _

_ “Fareeha, what did I tell you? You must be strong.” Ana pried the child from her shoulders to hold her square on Young Fareeha’s shoulders, her dark eyes looking steadfast into hers.  _

_ “You must be strong, because somewhere out there, someone needs help. Someone needs you. And you cannot ignore their plea, for your duty is to protect the innocent.” Ana brushed away a stray strand of hair from Young Fareeha’s face. _

_ “Even though things might seem rough, you need to power on, because there is someone else that needs help at the other side. It is a never ending cycle, Ree.” _

_ Young Fareeha wiped away her tears and stood up straight, saluting her mother which earned an earnest laugh. Ana ruffled her hair. _

_ “You must do the right thing. Follow this-” Ana put her other hand on her heart. “-and you will not falter. Whatever you must do, do it with pride, because you will know it is the right thing. If it is not, you will feel uncertain, and that is a sign to turn back and relive your choices. Do you understand?” _

_ Young Fareeha stiffly nodded twice, and Ana nodded her approval. _

_ “Okay.” _

_ Ana kissed her daughter one last time on the forehead. _

_ “أحبك" _

_ Fareeha nodded and repeated her mother.  _

_ “I must go now, for there are people in need of protection.” Ana picked up her bag and smiled again at Young Fareeha. _

_ “You are destined for greatness,” she said calmly, then just like that, she was out of the door. Little did Young Fareeha know that her mother  _ would  _ come back, but then disappear without a moment’s notice, which was a lot worse than saying goodbye. _

_ But maybe to Ana, saying goodbye was harder than leaving.  _

________________

 

Fareeha woke up with a small jolt, expecting to run forward to try to catch her mother’s sleeve before she passes through the door. But, as her muscles relaxed, she  remembered where she was, and looked down at the ball of messy blonde hair. She smiled and stroked the strands again. Did she have some sort of fetish or something? Maybe. Maybe it was just reassuring to touch the person you love to make sure that this was reality.

“Mmph…” The owner of the blonde hair stirred, and Fareeha abruptly pulled her hand back, scared that she awakened the sleeping beauty.

“Good morning,” Fareeha whispered tentatively. All the Angel did was moan in reply and clutch tighter to her waist. Fareeha’s grin widened as she realized that apparently sometime when they were sleeping, Angela had moved her arms to wrap around Fareeha’s waist. 

Little did Fareeha know that Angela was now wide awake, but she refused to leave her comfortable position, content to lay in Fareeha’s heat forever. But, upon remembering her promise before, she groaned and looked up at Fareeha. Something inside her stirred as she saw the other woman smiling widely at her. Angela smiled as well.

“‘Morning,” she said simply, then moved to get off Fareeha’s chest. Fareeha let out a satisfied groan as the weight on her chest disappeared, Angela now standing beside the couch, looking at her quizzically.

“Am I that heavy? I think you’re just overreacting,” Angela questioned. Fareeha looked at her, then clutched her chest dramatically.

“Oof, I think you might’ve broke a rib-” Fareeha laughed but then was immediately cut off by another groan as Angela jumped back on top of her, straddling her hips again.

“Well then get used to it, because I am well intent to get used to this as well.” Angela smirked and Fareeha clenched her jaw but smiled nonetheless, squirming playfully underneath Angela.

“By the gods… Out of all people, you’d never think my soulmate would be the one to kill me.”

Angela scoffed.

“No chance! I’d simply be the death of you.” Angela giggled as Fareeha whimpered and buried her face under her arm.

As a few moments of silence passed by, Fareeha peeked out from under her arm to see Angela looking wearily at the window, her gorgeous blue eyes consumed with worry.

“Angela? What’s wrong?” Fareeha winced at her voice. This situation seemed to bring back deja vu.

Angela sighed and turned her head to face Fareeha, her lips pursing. Fareeha’s eyebrows knit in confusion.

“I-” Angela cleared her throat. “I haven’t told you the whole story of what happened.”

Fareeha cocked her head, waiting for an explanation. Angela sighed again, and looked out the window to the busy streets. She took a deep sigh.

“Your Alpha came into the tent,” Angela said. Fareeha’s eyes widened. That meant…

“He saw what you did. What you were doing. And this… this Raptora thing... “ Angela looked troubled, her eyes looking more stormy than calm. Fareeha looked away.

“It was a side effect of Bonding,” Angela abruptly said. “Bonding is a bridge to both minds, and when your Alpha walked in, we…  _ connected _ .”

Fareeha glanced at Angela questioningly, but the Angel had her eyes closed and seemed to be controlling her breathing.

“I suddenly heard all your thoughts.  _ Felt  _ them, even. I experienced everything through your eyes. And I don’t know what triggered it, to be honest. But to put it bluntly, you and your Alpha talked. He knew that you were protecting our babies-” Angela coughed at her wording, then mentally slapped herself. “-I mean, the Archangel babies. He figured out that we were Bonded, and this Raptora thing… I know you weren’t in control, but it chose to protect the babies rather than let your Alpha decide their fate.”

Angela then took her gaze to Fareeha, who was staring wide-eyed with her mouth slightly hanging open. She looked cute, but it wasn’t fitting for a moment like this.

“I- I never really took the time to thank you. Or to thank Raptora. Or to thank both. You protected me, and those other lives. Thank you, Fareeha.” 

Fareeha dumbly nodded, waiting for Angela to continue, knowing that there just  _ had  _ to be more to the story.

“As you were protecting us, both of you fought.” Angela breathed in a deep breath.

“You hurt him. Horrendously. But, as your Alpha recovered, he…” Angela paused to decide her next words. “He exiled you and deemed you a traitor.” 

Fareeha gawked at her, but then turned her attention elsewhere, her face reflecting all kinds of emotion. She was silent, unable to form words, until she looked back at Angela. 

“We fought,” Fareeha attempted to clarify. It was all Angela could do to nod. Fareeha took a deep sigh.

_ My mother would not have wanted this.  _ But it was Raptora who’d done this, and Raptora was a reflection of her deepest desires...  She cursed quietly under her breath.

“Do you mind…” Fareeha gestured to Angela’s sitting position, and the other woman mumbled apologies as she stood. Fareeha swung her legs to the side of the couch and stood, gritting her teeth. She needed to fix this.

“I need to fix this,” she growled, making Angela step back at her hostility. Fareeha looked at Angela, and tried to soften her angry expression, but failed to do so.

“I’m sorry, but do you have my jacket and pants?” Angela nodded. Both of them moved to Angela’s room, but Fareeha was stopped by a lithe, pale hand.

“I guess I’ll return this to you then, too.” Angela smiled sadly, referring to her t-shirt,  and engaged to her room but Fareeha’s hand suddenly lashed out and gripped her on her bicep.

“No.” Fareeha gulped, and looked to the ground as she felt heat rushing to her face. “Keep it.”  

Angela looked over at her for a moment, then nodded as she proceeded to enter the room.. Fareeha fidgeted outside while she was waiting, but soon she was thrown her clothes, her jacket hitting her in the face.

“Oh! Sorry about that, Angela apologized, her head peeking out of the doorway, a grin making its way onto her face.

Fareeha kept a stoic expression as she pried of the jacket from her face, but she thought of something that would for sure make the other woman retaliate.

“Well, I’d certainly like  _ other  _ things on my face-”

“Stop!” 

Fareeha suddenly received a pillow to the face along with fits of high-pitched laughter. Fareeha felt the ends of her lips tighten, threatening to curl upwards.

“Now go change! Take a shower, do anything you need. I’ll be waiting.” Angela peeked out from from the doorway and was met with a mouthful of pillow.

“Okay,” Fareeha said, then she quickly walked off to change before the Angel could have time to recover enough to bother her some more.

  
  


After a brisk shower, Fareeha walked out of the bathroom fully clothed with her jacket zipped up to accommodate for the loss of her t-shirt.

Angela was sitting on the couch on her phone, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. Fareeha merely raised an eyebrow at her, then headed for the door.

“I… I’ll go.”

Angela looked up from her rapid typing, squinting at her. Suddenly, it seemed as if her phone was forgotten, as she leaped up from the couch and rushed to the door, ending up in front of Fareeha. 

“Just… just promise me something?”

Fareeha cocked her head.

“Hmm?”

“Come back to me.” Angela’s eyes darted down, but then shyly looked back up to look at Fareeha’s inquisitive ones. “Please?”

There was a hint of a smile on Fareeha’s features as she placed her hand on the top of Angela’s face with the intent of calming her down.

“Don’t be so worried. Of course I’ll come back. Probably just… not right away.”

Angela nodded. That was good enough for her. 

They both said their goodbyes, Fareeha’s goodbye just a small smile before she walked out of the door. With a small  _ clunk,  _ Angela closed the door, closed her eyes and sighed, her hands resting still on the handle.

“I do hope you will.”

________________

 

Fareeha shrugged off her jacket and stretched, relieved to be free of the tight leather. She soon shimmied out of her pants and Shifted, cracking her neck in preparation of what was to come.

Now in her wolf form, she couldn’t help but shiver as a sharp wind bristled her pitch-black fur, shaking in lieu of trying to get warm.

She was in the same place where she had Shifted before; beside the birch tree. She sighed, and started padding towards The Den, trying to clear her mind.

She had some sort of a plan. It went a little like this;

 

  1. Apologize.
  2. Try to reconcile.
  3. It’ll either be ‘yay’ or “I’ll die but at least I’ll die happily gay.”



 

She flicked out a paw, stretching its muscles. The hastily made to-do list would have to do.

Howls and yips suddenly pierced her earlobes. Fareeha’s muscles tensed. That didn’t seem like a good thing. 

She tried to access the neural link between her fellow wolves-

_ Another one? We’ve already lost enough of our brethren. _

_ Do you want to die, Saleh? It’s either us or them, and I’d rather save my own hide. _

_ But we can live out the last of our days knowing that we’ve done the right thing! _

A low grunt shut up the two quarrelling wolves.

_ We are attacking again not because we might die, but because Pharah the Turncoat has failed to do a simple task for the good of the pack. This is not only for us! It is for future generations to come!  _ Your children  _ will die because of your cowardice, and our generation will be no more. We must survive. We are wolves! We need to heed to our almighty Creator! _

Fareeha recognized that tone of thought. It was from Gabriel. She whined to herself, her walk pausing.

_ He called me a turncoat,  _ she thought. 

She abruptly smacked herself on the forehead.

_ Is that- _

_ The Turncoat! She dare come back? _

_ Fareeha Amari. Unsurprising, seeing you are of your mother’s blood. _

She walked past the line of trees shielding The Den from sight in the forest, and was met with every single pair of eyes in the vicinity, the golden orbs glowing with hate, fear, and confusion.

“GRRRRRR-!”

A pain stabbed Fareeha on the side, and an unknown forced made her tumble sideways, feeling teeth sink into her sides.

_ YOU! IF YOU HAD DONE YOUR JOB, MY BROTHER WOULDN’T HAVE DIED! _

Fareeha snapped her jaws at a white-furred wolf, wriggling out of its hold. The other wolf howled and lunged for her again, but she merely ducked, sending the wolf flying over her head from its momentum. He quickly scrambled to get on his feet and glared at her.

_ If you had done your job-  _ he panted and growled, his eyes glowing with rage.  _ NOTHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!  _

He lunged for her again. Fareeha clenched her jaw and jumped to the side, making a mental note to try to not hurt this wolf; her reputation was already bad enough. His fighting skills were mighty inferior to hers, clearly inexperienced in contact. She noticed this and took note again. Dodges would have to do, swipes if needed.

The other wolf landed on his feet and bared his teeth at her, his canines glistening. Fareeha felt the existing pain in her side multiply tenfold, but she ignored it, hoping that she’d get home to Angela fast enough before she lost too much blood.

_ Go get ‘em! _

_ Give her what she deserves!  _

_ Make her run like she did! _

The crowd encouraged the white wolf, only making his eyes illuminate with more rage. They made a small clearing for the two to fight, seemingly crowding around as if it were a battlefield. The white wolf slowly stalked forward, eyeing Fareeha all the while.

_ The Angel… their leader killed my brother himself. He threw him to the other side of the camp where his compatriots finished him off. Do you know how much it hurts- how much it  _ hurts  _ to lose someone you’ve never shown your love to? _

Fareeha stayed silent, aiming to let the young wolf rant.

_ We were there. Waiting! Waiting for you to do your job! If you’d done it, we would be out of there faster, and my brother wouldn’t have died.  _

The wolf was close to tears, his eyes glistening.

Fareeha’s heart fell.

She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t  _ her  _ that failed him, it was Raptora. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to make it up to him, because she knew how much it hurt to lose a family member. She understood everything he was going through, and she wanted to hang herself for letting Raptora take over easily, hurting those she was supposed to protect.

She bowed her head instead.

_ I’m sorry. _

The white wolf growled.

_ I’m sorry?  _ I’m SORRY?  _ Is that all you have to say for yourself? When you were all snug and safe in the tent, just  _ staring  _ at your duty with sparkly eyes? Oh, and let’s mention your Archangel Bonder. All it took was a look from her to make you turn sides? You are a disgrace to this pack, and with this, I honor my brother! _

The wolf’s eyes suddenly glowed green, and he stepped around her with blinding speed, ending up behind her in the blink of an eye. Fareeha had no time to react as she felt a stinging run along her sides, the pain making her eyes dot with black spots. She made out the white wolf in front of her.

_ You will feel the rage of the Shimada.  _ The white wolf growled and dashed forward, slicing the other side of her abdomen. Fareeha howled and her knees buckled. The pain increased even more, feeling as if someone had doused her whole body in acid while setting it on fire while punching continuously in her sides.

_ No…  _ She didn’t want to hurt the wolf. She didn’t want to attack him. She  _ deserved  _ this. 

Her blood dripped to the ground, oozing out as if it were a thickly syrup. At the sight of it, the other wolf laughed.

_ Not so tough are you now, Amari? _

Fareeha’s ties snapped. This was not justice. This was dishonorable; to beat up a helpless opponent. 

So she will make it honorable.

She closed her eyes and heard the whistling of the birds, the cackling of the wolves around her, the leaves bristling in the wind.

And she heard a small grunt as the other wolf urged his paw forward, aiming to swipe at her face. She let him, feeling a sharp sting on her cheek, then she lunged at him, catching him off guard. She growled as she tackled him to the ground, releasing her grip on him and instead opting to clamp down hard on his leg.

The wolf howled a great howl, and as Fareeha released her jaw, she couldn’t help but feel satisfied hearing a small  _ crack _ ; the telltale sound of bones cracking that would immobilize her opponent, leaving him defenseless. 

Of course, she wouldn’t do anything else to him. 

_ Traitor! TRAITOR! Look what you did to me! You really are a- _

_ SILENCE!  _

The white wolf’s whining came to a stop under the Alpha’s command. Fareeha turned her head to the Lion King look-a-like cliff, meeting the golden eyes of Gabriel, whom Raptora had fought. He was standing tall, glaring at her. She held his gaze.

_ Fareeha Amari. State your business, or the only thing you will find here is trouble,  _ Gabriel growled. Fareeha straightened her back, her features turning fierce.

_ My Alpha,  _ she addressed. He growled at the title. She continued nonetheless.  _ What had happened at the Angel camp before… you should understand that it was not my fault; it was Raptora’s. But even if so, my actions were unforgivable to the clan.  _

She heard snarls of distrust from the wolves, but she continued on. She was determined to take her rightful spot back in The Den.

_ That is why I come here to propose a deal. I am Fareeha Amari, wielder of Raptora, one of the best fighters this clan has ever come upon. And even though Raptora cannot be trusted, that doesn’t mean that I can’t. _

Gabriel merely looked at her, staying silent. Hearing her stop, he dipped his head down and his gaze turned to that of hostility.

_ Pup, Raptora is the reflection of your deepest desires; you know that. It is as if you are under a full moon, aside from the boosted strength and speed obtained from your power. We both know that. To my knowledge, if Raptora cannot be trusted, then so can’t you. _

The wolves murmured in agreement, and Fareeha silently cursed.

_ My Alpha, I- _

_ Banished! You are banished, you fool! What part of that can’t you get?  _ Gabriel growled at her, his stance assuming an offensive one, and The Den was filled with whoops of agreement.

_ C’mon, traitor! Now, get! _

_ Ha! Thinking she can storm back here after what happened. She even attacked the Alpha! _

_ What a riot. _

Fareeha’s eye twitched. She looked back at the white wolf laying on the ground, who was looking at her with a smug look on his face. His eyes returned to their standard color of gold, his special power long gone.

_ You deserve this,  _ he told her. She clenched her jaw, and looked back at Gabriel. He snorted at her.

_ And where were you after Raptora left,  _ he questioned.  _ I reckon with your Angel Bonder? _

Fareeha clenched her jaw and tried to keep the thought of staying at Angela’s house out of her head, but the thought made her think about it.

And the whole pack heard.

Suddenly, growls echoed through the clearing, all hostile.

_ Traitor! Traitor, I tell you!  _ A wolf let his opinion out.

_ We all know that,  _ Gabriel growled. Fareeha whimpered. Curse her strong feelings for Angela.

_ Gabe, c’mon,  _ she tried to reconcile. _ We both know that I don’t control Raptora, and I swear I’ll do anything to- _

_ Anything?  _ A new line of thought interrupted Fareeha, and she swiveled her head around, confused, looking for the source of the thought.

Out of Fareeha’s peripheral vision, several wolves moved to create a clearing, a variety of furs standing aside to let Fareeha see through a path the catalyst of the thought; Supreme Elder Touken.

_ Are you sure, my child, that you will do anything?  _

Fareeha’s gut indicated that something bad was about to happen, despite the warning, she nodded. She needed any opportunity that would introduce itself. Touken’s lip twitched in a sort-of smile.

_ Well, then, I will give you a duty that will for sure win us our species’ immortality. A duty that you must not fail, or else you will have no more second chances. Understand? _

_ Yes, Supreme Elder. _

Gabriel growled, but said nothing. The Elder nodded his head in appreciativeness.

_ Well then child. Are you ready? _

_ Yes, sir. _

_ You are to kill the Archangel who makes them all stronger; the one rumored to have single-handedly won the 76th War, the one whom they all praise and adore. _

Gabriel scoffed.  _ All she has to do is kill their pesky boy-scout leader? _

_ No.  _ Touken glared at Gabriel and continued. 

_ She has to kill the one known as Mercy. _

Gasps could be heard all around the glade, as Fareeha furrowed her eyebrows.

_ Mercy?  _ She asked tentatively.

_ Yes. Their lead healer, Mercy. _

Fareeha’s mind immediately flew to Angela at the mention of healer, but whoever this Mercy guy was, he was going down anyway. 

_ Consider it done,  _ Fareeha confirmed, determined to do her duty.

_ That’s the spirit, Amari,  _ Touken thought, nodding.  _ Now go, I will give you a head start. _

With that, Fareeha sprinted off, away from all the howls and wary whines.

  
  


_ Good stuff for boss today! _

Jamison practically skipped with glee as he slinked away from the group of wolves, bounding in the direction of the Angel camp.

_ Oh ho ho, this’ll be good... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 400 kudos! I appreciate very single one of them, as well as the hits! Thank you so very much!


	10. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fareeha makes plans. But fate is too cruel to let her keep them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY I TOOK SO LONG!! School happened, and I got a lot of things going on and it's frantic... But hey, here it is!
> 
> (This chapter is 15 pages opposed to my 7 page rule but I mean, more for you guys!)

 Alright, she got out alive.

Now what?

Fareeha sighed and looked up at the sky as she shrugged her jacket on, zipping it up.

Well, she needed a change of clothes, for a first. Or not a change, but rather just _clothes._

Whatever, it was worth it. Angela looked good in her shirt anyway.

Fareeha’s breath hitched at the thought, and she looked down and dug her heel into the dirt.

Not just good. It was… it was…

_Damn._ Out of all her vocabulary of words for puns and terrible jokes, she couldn’t find the right adjective for how Angela looked like.

A pure example of how Angela had Fareeha wrapped around her thin, pale finger.

Fareeha chuckled to herself. She could just imagine it, a… yeah, that’s what it was. A _chibi_ version of herself clinging onto Angela’s finger, eyes screwed shut with a sort of derpy-looking mouth. Thanks, Lena, for the extending of her vocabulary.

Anyways. Right. The agenda for today.

Fareeha sighed as she trudged towards the city, hands shoved into her pockets. She wasn’t one to plan, always hoping for the best. But considering what had happened at the Angel Den… she would make sure things wouldn’t be uncalled for. There were no room for mistakes. At least, not now.

  


Check.

The door to her apartment clicked shut as she mentally checked off one thing on her to-do list. This ‘Mercy’ dude would have to wait, although he really should be on her list of priorities. After all, a promise is a promise, especially if you’ll _die_ if you don’t fulfill the promise. But she did promise Angela that she would come back to her apartment.

So with an extra change of clothes hidden in the depths of her backpack, and a swinging arm to hook her backpack over her shoulder, Fareeha whistled as she headed off.

It was nice having something to look forward to.

  


She narrowed her eyes at two sketchy-looking guys in front of Angela’s apartment entrance. They didn’t seem dangerous, but by the way their hawk-like eyes trailed every biotic thing making their way into the apartment, Fareeha got uneasy.

It was a gut feeling, and she was supposed to follow her gut feelings. After all, werewolf instincts were a force to be reckoned with.

Underneath her slick aviators which she hoped would conceal her gaze, she watched the two men as she walked towards the entrance. One was gray-haired who looked like he was in his seventies, wearing oversized red sunglasses (which was _extremely_ sketchy to Fareeha), a dad hat and a Hawaii-style button up with khakis, and the other was short with a lengthy, tied-up yellow beard, He, too, was hiding beneath biker sunglasses, which explained why he was wearing a biker helmet and leather clothes.

As she passed through the door, Fareeha made eye contact (or, at least she thought she did) with the old blonde man. He watched with his head turning like an owl as she walked through the door, and she stared right back, unyielding to his gaze.

Even after she had passed through the doors, he was still paying special attention to her, but then he suddenly craned his head forward towards the street, lifting his hand and whispering something to his comrade.

_Definitely sketchy._ Fareeha quickened her pace to the old elevator, deciding to warn Angela. She scanned the moderately busy lobby for any more ‘sketchy’ people, but found none, all the lobby’s occupants tending to their own needs, whether it be mailtime or checking in with the receptionist, who was looking depressed behind the counter.

No interruptions were noted as she stepped into the elevator, stepping over the black line which separated the elevator from the lobby from the endless darkness below. Nobody else was in the old elevator, and she leaned forward to press a button on the elevator wall, noticing the small _click_ the round button made.

As she leaned back again to rest against a handrail of the elevator, she scanned the lobby, her line of sight quickly being obscured by the closing grainy elevator doors. Yet, before they closed completely-

A gray-haired man abruptly appeared between the small slit of the elevator, his sunglasses now hanging on the neck of his shirt and his strikingly-blue eyes glaring at Fareeha. He was whispering angrily to what Fareeha thought was his biker friend, and-

_Click!_

The elevator doors shut, and Fareeha clutched the handrail when the elevator started to rise. She wasn’t affected by the turbulence, but instead by the urgency of the man. She needed to get to Angela, and fast. Whatever these guys were planning, it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, that’s for sure.

_“Third floor,”_ a female monotone voice announced, and the elevators creaked open. Before it could open fully, Fareeha dashed forward, adrenaline pumping in her veins.

_This is bad, this is bad, this is bad…_

Turn right. Run. Run as fast as you can.

Fareeha relied on muscle memory as she made her way through the halls of the apartment. Angela’s apartment was on the far side because apparently Angela wanted a good view, but for now, it wasn’t serving Fareeha any good.

“SHI-”

Fareeha suddenly hit the ground hard, her face digging through the carpeted floor. Her legs instantaneously felt numb, and as she tried to move them, she realized she had no control. Whatever happened-

“This her?”

A gruff voice grunted behind her, and Fareeha tried to turn around to see who the man was but her arms suddenly felt _very_ heavy.

“Yeah. She should be. Third floor, running to the end of the hall… I’m pretty sure, Torbjorn,” another voice echoed. She cursed to herself and tried to move, but her limbs wouldn’t budge. So here she was, lying face-down smelling the damp musk of the carpet floor, unable to move because _who knows what._

“Hit her with a tranq,” the latter voice said, then scoffed. “I’d like to save her just a bit of pain. After all-”

“Go easy on her, Jack,” the first voice butted in. A sound of shuffling made its way to Fareeha’s ears, and she tried even harder to squirm, as the sound sounded like the man was reaching into his bag or pocket or whatever to get the tranquilizer. “She won’t be of much help if you torture her too much, just like what happened with the _last_ wolf.”

Fareeha tried to open her mouth to call out to Angela, or to call out to _anything,_ but her jaw wouldn’t budge either. Dammit, why was she so damn helpless?

“Don’t meddle your business into mine,” the older sounding voice growled. “I have my methods, and you have yours. Let’s just leave it at that.”

A moment of silence. Fareeha listened to the beats of her heartbeat thundering like lightning in her ears. _So much for making plans._

“Okay, Jackie boy.”

A sharp pain stung Fareeha on the back of her thigh, and she would have groaned if it weren’t for her malfunctioning muscles. It felt like a needle was stabbed into her thigh, and a very big one at that.

“Thanks. I owe you this time, Torb.”

Fareeha suddenly felt woozy, her eyelids threatening to droop. She fought it as hard as she can, and while she was, she felt two arms curl under her shoulder, lifting her upright. She was dragged upright into a sitting position, then dragged backwards.

“Don’t mind it at all, Jack. After all, we are allies.”

Fareeha tried to access her voice box, or whatever the hell was making her voice work. It did naught.

“She asleep yet?”

“Should be.”

Fareeha heard muffled footsteps come approach her front, and as her neck lost control, leaving her chin resting on her chest, she saw a small man with a yellow beard and a leather jacket come to her vision.

“Nah. Will be, though.”

The man’s words were muffled to Fareeha, and as her eyes fluttered shut, she thought one single thought.

_Angela. I’m sorry._

________________

 

Angela checked the time on the stove once again.

Fareeha had been gone for more than five hours. Was she even coming back? Angela hoped that the worst didn’t happen. But still, the worst scenario could still be on the table, the scenario being Fareeha’s dea-

_No._ Angela looked up from her tablet, unfolding her legs from her sitting position on the couch. Fareeha could take care of herself.

_“Don’t be so worried. Of course I’ll come back. Probably just… not right away.”_

Angela sighed defeatedly, placing her tablet on her lap. She rubbed the bridge on her nose, closing her eyes, trying to relax. She felt pent up stress transform itself into tension in her back. Only now was she thinking of the consequences of having a direct _lycanthrope_ Bond with her. What were the odds?

Was it even possible for a werewolf to Bond with an Archangel? Or any other supernatural being at that? As far as Angela knew, werewolves only Bonded with either other werewolves or humans. Wolves were the only supernatural species that had fate decide their partners; the other species were free to mate with whomever they wanted.

Angela sighed again and hung her head back, resting it against the top of the back of the couch. Why must this all be so confusing?

That fate decided to play a joke on her, to make life a little more complicated.

“ _Verdammt,”_ Angela muttered. A renowned Archangel healer, known for her surpasses in sciences and the creation of nanites in liquid form, stumped in the werewolf process in, out of all things, love.

She chuckled nervously, hoping that fate was laughing along with her. Whatever was happening, she would let fate decide. She had tampered with fate far too many times; it was about time that she let it take its course.

_BZZT!_

Angela looked to her phone on the windowsill, which was lit from an incoming message. She groaned, lifted her head, and reached for the phone. It was a message from Jack.

As if fate had deliberately made her situation worse.

_Angela,_ it read. _Rendezvous with me here._

Angela moaned and let her head rest against the top of the back of the couch once again. Of course Jack, in his very simple fashion, was calling her back to the hideout in less than a day.

_To what?_ She wondered. Tend to injuries? Help out with war strategies? No. They both knew that Angela would never help with the direct bloodshed. After all, she considered herself a pacifist.

Angela then opened her eyes, set her tablet aside, stood, and stretched, yawning all the while.

Work was work.

________________

 

After a quick bath, a change of clothes, and a traffic-filled car ride, Angela trudged towards the Angel hideout, clutching her knee-length jacket closer to her chest.

Was it just her, or was it colder today?

She climbed the small ridge that hid the hideout from prying eyes. Was it even called a hideout? It was certainly fitting, but Angela was sure that Jack and Reinhardt had called it something else. A Sanctuary?

A question arose in her head. A Sanctuary for what?

She reached the top of the ridge and looked down upon the Sanctu- hideout. There was a reason that Angela didn’t want to call the hideout a Sanctuary, but she refused to think of it now. Right now… it wasn’t a good time. It is never a good time to reminisce about what had happened in the past.

She made her way down, slipping on a few stray sticks and pinecones that lay idle on the grass. She carefully made her way through the small array of steel spikes lining the outskirts of the camp, her jacket snagging on a few. After she had entered the compound, she was rewarded with a commanding shout.

“Ziegler!”

Angela tried not to roll her eyes, and watched as the poster-boy for all Archangels came sprinting towards her, his Hawaiian shirt billowing out behind him from his speed. She watched his stoic face watch every deliberate move that her eyes made, reading her body movement and language. Paranoia, as expected from a seasoned commander. Angela payed no mind.

“Ziegler,” he panted, coming to a stop in front of her. “It is imperative that you come with me.”

She raised an eyebrow, slightly taken by surprise by his indirectness. She was expecting him to say that he needed her assistance in healing the wounded like she was supposed to (instead of heading off to tend to Fareeha) or guidance on the move to defend ( _or attack,_ Angela thought warily) against their enemies.

“Why the urgency, Jack?” She walked briskly alongside him as he started jogging off to the opposite direction of the camp, traversing through lines of white tents.

He scoffed.

“The urgency? The _urgency,_ Ziegler? You don’t have the right to ask me that,” he muttered gruffly. “No right, especially since you ditched your post to go elsewhere. Jeez. If I didn’t have other matters to attend to, you wouldn’t have had time to do… whatever you were doing.”

“It was important,” Angela shot back, trying to stay nonchalant.

“That’s what they all say. But for now, I need you on matters far more pressing.” Jack slowed down for a step, his eyes looking down as if he were thinking of what to say next. “We have a secret location that… well, that I want to show you. Need to, actually.”

“And where would that be?”

Jack scoffed again, snorting through his nose.

“That’s why it’s called a _secret,_ Ziegler. Now let’s move. Wilhelm is coming along as well.”

Angela nodded, still a tad confused, but choosing not to spur Jack’s anger. It was a good thing (and a wise decision) that Jack had not pressed about the reason she left, she just hoped that he would never ask. It was a hopefulness off by a long shot, but hope was a good thing, right?

  


Angela never expected to be blindfolded for the whole ride, instead relying on her sense of hearing and smell in the old, cliche-looking white van.

They had to take a van because Reinhardt, of his vast size, could not fit in any other vehicle (they had, in fact, tried to fit him in a sedan before, but he ended up breaking the seat and bending the roof once they forced him in).

She was only released from her restraint once the van came to a full stop and they were standing outside the ‘secret location.’

She felt large hands on the back of her head untie the knot of the black blindfold.

“Sorry about that, Angela,” Reinhardt said apologetically, his humongous hands no doubt having trouble untying the knot. “Jack asked for this, and you know him. A hardheaded man’s decision is a decision!”

Angela heard the sound of a car door being slammed shut.

“I can hear you, you know,” Jack muttered from Angela’s left. She heard fast footsteps getting closer to her, the footfalls seeming heavy as if they were angered. “Let me do it! You’re only making it worse.”

The hands stopped working and were replaced by thinner, more nimble ones. After only a matter of seconds, Angela’s blindfold was released, Jack catching it before it could fall to the ground.

“It’s not my fault I’m not a thin boy from Indonesia,” Reinhardt cackled.

“I’m from Indiana!”

Angela ignored the banter and Reinhardt’s uproarious laugh, instead paying her attention to the warehouse in front of her. It was huge, the same size as a typical warehouse. It wasn’t in the city, for all Angela could see other than the warehouse were rocks, sand, and gravel. This ‘secret location’ was really secret; it was in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

The warehouse was made from straight-up concrete, no paint to make it seem a little more presentable (after all, it _was_ in the middle of nowhere).

“What is this place?” Angela wondered out loud. Reinhardt’s laughing paused as she turned to look at the two men. Reinhardt seemed just as equally confused as her, his eyebrow raising ever so slightly.

“Thought you’d never ask,” Jack grumbled. He started walking towards the warehouse, gesturing for Reinhardt and Angela to follow.

He was leading them to a set of steel doors, secured with a rusty lock. Angela felt skeptical about the security of this ‘secret location’ from just looking at the not-so-secure-looking lock, but she followed Jack nonetheless.

“This compound was used between the 63rd and the 64th wars. Barely anyone knows this place, because it is seldom used nowadays,” Jack said, sounding like a tour guide. Once they approached the door, Jack held out his hand to the rusty lock. It glowed gold for two seconds, then the lock unhinged and it fell to the floor as easily as a leaf in autumn. “Only Archangels can enter it, as you can see. Humans or anything else wouldn’t be able to enter without an Angel with them. Anyways, back to the history.”

Jack shoved the doors open, a small gust of wind hitting Angela in the face. A few dust particles formed a small tornado at the ground near the door, confirming Jack’s words that this compound wasn’t used in a very long time. So why were they brought here _now_?

“It has everything you need to fight the hellbeings; holding cells, torture chambers and the like. Anything you can conjure up from the Saw movies., it’s here,” Jack said nonchalantly, stepping into the warehouse. Reinhardt and Angela followed suit.

The warehouse was empty save for a few crates scattered across the large clearing. Several doors no doubt leading to other hallways riddled on the walls of the warehouse. There were shelves that had dusty white clothes thrown over them in lieu of protecting the secrecy of its contents.

The clearing that they were in was about a quarter of the size of the whole warehouse, or at least, Angela guessed so. This seemed more like a lobby than a ‘torture chamber’ or whatever Jack had mentioned.

Reinhardt leaned over to Angela’s ear.

“This place creeps me out,” he whispered. Angela smiled. The warehouse did creep her out as well, giving her an uneasy feeling in her stomach, but the fact that Reinhardt had just admitted one of his weaknesses made the uneasy feeling disperse for just a moment. Reinhardt wasn’t a man to admit his weaknesses to his peers; only to the ones he trusted. Apparently, Angela was one of them.

“Same,” Angela whispered back, and a smile crept on the man’s face. He turned away from her to yell at Jack.

“What are we doing here again?” Reinhardt asked. Jack glanced at him with a wary look, then started making his way towards on of the doors on the far side of the room, grumbling incoherent noises.

“I captured a lycanthrope that was, in fact-” Jack stopped his slow gait to look at Angela, his blue eyes piercing through hers. “-on its way to kill you.”

Angela gasped.

“To kill Angela?” A growl came out of Reinhardt. “Do they know…!”

“No, they do not know. But even so, our lycanthrope… assistant informed me that a kill order has been placed on ‘Mercy’s’ head.” Jack said. “Even our assistant doesn’t know who Angela really is, and so I question why we found a lycanthrope fitting our assistant’s description skipping towards Angela’s apartment. It was a good thing Torbjorn and I got there before it did, or else we wouldn’t be here safe and sound.”

“Torbjorn? He’s here too? I haven’t seen him in forever,” Angela asked, trying to shake off the fact that another wolf had tried to kill her. At least Jack was there. It was a good thing that he did, because Fareeha wasn’t with her at the time.

_Fareeha!_

Before Jack could answer her question, Angela gasped again, and looked alarmingly at Jack.

“What?” Jack continued walking, turning away from her eyes to look at where he was going. ”Torbjorn was only taking a break from his duties. He can’t run away from being an Archangel forever.”

_It’s not Torbjorn that I’m worried about._

“Wha- how do you know that this person is a werewolf?” Angela’s eyes furrowed, her nose crinkling in worry of Jack’s response.

“Did you hear what I just said, Ziegler? Our assistant.” Jack raised two fingers and jabbed them towards his eyes. “And also… my eyes, Angela. That’s how I know. Oh, another thing-” He spun around with a surprising smirk on his face. “-she was the only one heading to your apartment. If I remember correctly, Angela Ziegler’s love life is nonexistent.”

Angela sputtered while Reinhardt guffawed, laughing so hard that his laughter bounced off the immense walls of the warehouse. He walked to Jack to slap an arm on his back, doubling over as he started to cough.

“Now there’s the old Jack I know!” Reinhardt patted (really, it looked more like he _pushed_ ) Jack on the back, and Jack stumbled forward from the sudden momentum.

“Jack-o-boy’s comin’ back, I hear?” A voice from behind the door Angela and her companions were approaching ended their sentence with a snort.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Jack muttered, his voice suddenly serious instead of light-hearted and teasing. “Jack Morrison is gone.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

The steel door swung open, revealing a leather-clad Torbjorn.

“Torbjorn!” Reinhardt boomed, ditching his space beside Jack to squeeze the shorter man on the shoulder. He had to crouch so his hand actually _reached_ Torbjorn’s shoulder. He then pulled back and scanned him. “What is this getup? Are you trying to audition for _Ghost Rider?”_

All three men laughed heartily at the joke, Angela instead clenching her jaw. She abruptly cleared her throat, and the three men craned their heads towards her.

“I believe we have more pressing matters at hand than what Torbjorn is currently dressed as,” Angela stated. Reinhardt’s smiling face faltered and a stoic business one replaced it. He leaned to whisper something in Torbjorn’s ear (he had to lean quite a lot) and Torbjorn nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Agreed. Let’s proceed.” Jack passed through the door, while Torbjorn held it open for Reinhardt and Angela to pass through.

They went into a hallway which was dark, lit only by blinking fluorescent lights on the ceiling. Dark stains appeared here and there along the gray concrete walls, and cobwebs could be found at nearly every corner. There were more steel doors along the left and right walls of the hallway, similar to that of the steel door that they had entered through. Angela couldn’t see the end of the long hallway, but she figured that there would be another door at the end, as if there weren’t enough doors.

Seeing her inspect the state of the facility, Jack turned and started walking backwards to face the group. “I already told you guys that this facility wasn’t used in a while, so pardon its state.”

Angela didn’t really care. She didn’t even notice its state. All she cared about was going back to her apartment. Who knew when Fareeha would come back? For all she knew, the Egyptian would probably be there already, panicking as the Bonder that she needed to protect wasn’t there. The last thing Angela wanted was to make Fareeha worry, especially if Bonders were protective to a greater extent.

“... and Jack left him there as he went to get me! Can you imagine what the poor lad had to do to walk through camp without getting attacked?” Angela’s ears picked up Torbjorn’s hearty voice and Reinhardt’s rambunctious laughter.

 A snarl escaped through her lips, and Jack stopped mid-step to look at her quizzically, Reinhardt and Torbjorn following suit. All Angela did was stare back, hoping her unbridled rage didn’t show through her eyes.

“Can we get going, please?” She uttered, trying to keep a cool and calm demeanor. Jack’s eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded and continued nonetheless. Reinhardt gave her a look as if he were asking _are you okay?_ Torbjorn just followed Jack, staying silent.

They passed by several more doors until Jack stopped at a door on the right, the third last one from the end. He extended his arm and the silver handle of the door glowed golden for two seconds, then an unmistakable _click_ sounded before Jack turned the handle and stepped inside, gesturing for the rest of them to enter.

“Here we are. Walls are one-way, and she can't hear us unless we want her to.” Jack walked in.

Angela’s eyes immediately scanned the room. It was empty, save for the control panel under the so called one-way window. A door on the right side probably led to the inside of the room in which the werewolf resided, and a couple of chairs lined the four concrete walls.

Reinhardt gave a low whistle as soon as he saw the control panel. “Quite high-tech, my friend.”

Jack scoffed.

“This is tech from the 63rd war, Reinhardt,” Jack grumbled, albeit knowing that the older man was accustomed to older methods.

“Now-” he walked up to the control panel and pressed a button, making the panel come to life, lights blinking furiously under his fingers. His grip settled on a lone switch as he turned back to look at his comrades, a grave look on his face. “Let’s see who we’ve caught.”

He flicked the switch.

The lights turned on.

The one-way mirror activated.

A caramel skinned woman was chained to the ceiling by her wrists, her arms hanging unceremoniously above her head, her ankles also chained down, though more loosely to the ground. Her head hung from her neck (Angela’s brain automatically detected that she was unconscious), her raven black hair drooping.

The werewolf twitched.

She raised her head.

Reinhardt gasped.

A hard set jaw line. Determined eyes. The Eye of Horus under her right eye.

Angela gasped.

_"Fareeha?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danke.


	11. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angela knows. Reinhardt knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I rushed this. Take it. Take my whooole liiife tooooo...
> 
> Mild violence/torture ahead.

Question after question.

Trial after trial.

Pain after pain.

The old man behind the one-way mirror was unforgiving.

Fareeha coughed and spat out what she thought was a litre of blood, red dripping down her chin. She glared at the mirror, hoping to intimidate the man just a bit.

“I won't talk.”

“You will, eventually.” The man’s voice echoed through the speakers, and Fareeha scoffed. This man was just about as hardheaded as her.

“Now tell me,” the speakers blared. “When is the next attack?”

“I don’t-” Fareeha was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream coming out from her own throat as electricity coursed through her body, which was spasming around as much as the chains could abide by.

“Level eight.” The shocking stopped. Fareeha immediately doubled over and coughed out more blood. “I'm sure you like that.”

“Well, that's just gr-eight,” Fareeha muttered under her breath.

“Should I just go to you and beat you senseless until you talk, you useless mutt?”

That gave Fareeha an opportunity to escape.

“You aren't man enough to do so,” she taunted, a small smirk gracing her features.

No reply. Then-

A shock like never before shook Fareeha. Her head snapped back and forth, her spine bent farther than what felt natural, and her body convulsed. Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out as she writhed on the ground, the pain of the electricity making the pain of the shackles digging into her wrists miniscule.

Then it stopped. 

Fareeha’s world turned hazy. The gray room around her became fuzzy and unclear, and the floor kept spinning. She was aware of a fountain of blood spurting out of her lips, but she didn't really feel it.

“Level ten. You try to be smart with me, you regret it, punk.” The loudness of the speakers made Fareeha’s ears ring. Her head started to hang, her chin threatening to rest on her chest as if she were being crucified. 

_ No,  _ she thought.  _ I won't pass out here- _

She groaned as another round of electricity hit her, albeit shorter and weaker.

“One to think about your actions until I come back.” The speakers clicked, indicating that the man had turned off the system.

Fareeha hunched over and gasped for much-needed breath. The fluorescent lights in the room clicked off, save for one small light bulb illuminating above her. She chuckled. The light bulb’s only purpose was to illuminate her.

As the seconds ticked by, Fareeha’s adrenaline started to diminish, and the pain of all the past tortures started to throb. 

The marks on her back from a whip. Her broken fingers on each hand. Her ribs from a beating from an activated magical staff. Her head from the latter weapon. Her nostrils from the water treatment. In fact, her whole body hurt, especially now from the increased levels of electricity.

Fareeha groaned and allowed her muscles to relax, her head hanging. The world was still hazy, tinged with red, probably by her blood.

How did everything turn south so quickly? First, it was the appearing of Raptora during the Angel raid, then it was being exiled out of the clan, now this. How did a simple thing, such as going to Angela’s apartment, turn wrong?

And how did it go wrong?

How did those Angels know she was heading back? Did Angela tell them?

_ Did  _ Angela tell them? Was the good doctor’s exterior different than her interior?

Fareeha groaned again as the throbbing of her head intensified by the restless thinking.

“Angela…” Fareeha found herself muttering her name. What happened to her, if she wasn't involved? 

  
  


Every scream shook Angela to her bones.

Every time Fareeha convulsed, restricted by the chains on her wrists, Angela bit down on her cheek and clenched her fists. She couldn't do anything, at least, not now. It pained to watch her Bonder suffer, and she’d rather be tortured herself than watch Fareeha suffer. 

And yet, Angela was so hopeless that the only thing in her mind was playing over and over again like a grainy tape reel.

“AAAAAH!”

_ I'm sorry, Fareeha  _

“WHAT THE FU-”

_ I'm sorry, Fareeha  _

“I- no matter what you do, I won’t-”

_ I'm sorry.  _

A doctor’s job was to heal patients, not hurt them.  _ Mercy’s  _ job was to heal people, not hurt them. 

“Angela… Angela… Angela…”

Then her heart broke right there. Her eyes refused to leave Fareeha’s. She locked her jaw.

This had to stop.

  
  


A click.

 The telltale turning of a knob.

Fareeha was too tired to look up at whoever had entered the room. Her eyes drooped, and her eyebrows bunched together.

“Fareeha!” An angelic voice whispered urgently to her, and Fareeha lifted her head ever so slightly. A tuft of platinum blonde hair penetrated through the red-tinted haze, but then she dropped her head down, tired from that smallest movement. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to move.

A soft lithe hand cupped her chin, bringing it up slightly so her head lifted. Fareeha’s eyes didn't meet the stranger’s.

“Drink,” The voice whispered urgently again, and a smooth substance was brought up to her lips. Fareeha shook her head.

“No…” 

“Fareeha…”

She finally lifted her eyes to meet brilliant blue ones. Familiar, even.

“I…” Fareeha’s voice trailed off, her being too tired to even conjure up a sentence. Yet, as her mouth opened to say the one word, the vial tilted, and her mouth was filled with a sweet but sticky substance. Her first instinct was to spit it out, but a gut feeling told her not to.

“Fareeha…” The woman with the sky trapped in her beautiful eyes looked at her, her eyebrows furrowing. Fareeha wanted to tell her not to worry, that she was fine, and that everything else would be fine as long as she killed Mercy. 

Yet no words came out of her mouth, instead the ones coming out from the blue-eyed woman somewhat baffled her.

“I'm sorry.”

And with that, Fareeha’s vision turned black.

_

 

“Angela, are you sure it’s safe?”

A sigh.

“Reinhardt, I am not sure. But it is the only hope we have. The injuries she sustains are not going to completely heal before Jack comes back, and who knows what he’s going to do to her then.”

“Then we need to get her out of here.”

A tapping of a pen could be heard throughout the room.

“Why are you do interested in escaping her out anyway Reinhardt?”

“I...  well, she will die because of Jack’s methods, and even she does not deserve a fate such as this. She seems… innocent. Not deserving of a death like this.” 

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

“And so you're saying that we help her escape by the pure notion that she’s  _ innocent?” _

“I… I guess so.”

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

“Okay. This is what we’ll do.

_

 

_ “Soon enough, you will betray me.” _

_ Fareeha gasped and lifted her head. It appeared her wrists and ankles were still in shackles, but she wasn’t in the Angel compound. After all, her surroundings were pitch black. _

_ A sigh sounded through the darkness. Fareeha thought that it wasn’t a sigh, but rather a  _ multitude  _ of sighs.  _

_ “And here I thought that I would have another Amari heir under my grasp. I could just destroy you all, but that wouldn’t be fun, would it?” A voice-  _ no, many voices,  _ Fareeha thought- said. To her ears, it seemed like a whole crowd were saying the words, but they all came from a general direction; in front of her. “After all, the only entertainment I’ve gotten in  _ years  _ was when the Archangels tried to storm in my lair. Ha. Fools. That was child’s play.” _

_ “Who are you?” Fareeha managed to croak out, wincing at the uncertainty in her voice. The voice in the darkness laughed, causing a deep rumble in the floor beneath her. _

_ “Ah, and this is why I believe you will make tasty entertainment, feisty young Amari.” _

_ “Answer my question!” Fareeha’s shackles clinked against each other as she tried to free her arm, wrenching it forward. They didn’t give. _

_ “Well, now, that would just ruin the fun, wouldn’t it?” _

_ A smile appeared in the darkness, but it was not made of flesh and teeth. The crescent was, instead, looking like a substance like lava was trapped inside, the smile glowing hues of red and orange, and the supposed teeth instead the color of charcoal. _

_ Then it disappeared, and darkness fell again. _

_

 

“Cameras?”

“Yes.” Angela’s fingers quickly tapped on the console of the control panel, her blue eyes scanning the several screens along the wall. One of the screens reflected hers and Reinhardt’s body forms in the room from the camera in the corner of the room.

“Are you going to shut them down?” Reinhardt set his hands down and leaned on the console, looking at the screens intently. All showed the same, empty halls, save for two screens, one being the control room for the torture chamber and another in the storage room where Jack was rifling through several dusty boxes.

“No. That would not be enough.” Angela leaned back to the chair and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I also do not have access to shut them anyways.”

Reinhardt groaned and threw his hands up in the air, glaring at the camera in the corner of the room. “I could just destroy these damn things, and knock out Jack if I had to!”

Angela shook her head. “That would make even more proof that we broke out Fa- the lycanthrope.”

She pressed the button to shut all of the cameras down, but a command prompt opened in one of the screens, prompting for an admin password.  _ Again. _ One that only Jack would know.

Until she sat up straight, her spine snapping forward. She held her forefinger and her middle finger against her temples, and muttered a word so quietly that Reinhardt wouldn’t hear. 

_ “Vision.” _

The world suddenly erupted in hazes of reds, oranges, and blues. Everything became defined; she could see specks of dust on the console, the old stains on the one way mirror. Her eyes flicked to the Egyptian held in the other room. Fareeha’s wounds called to her like a beacon, her blood bright red, making Angela’s blood boil.  _ Jack would pay.  _

She then turned her attention to a keypad on the console, which had varying colors: red meaning that the key had been used many times, blue meaning the key was barely used, and orange meaning that it was kind of used.

Four keys were a striking red, almost making Angela tear up from the brightness. She pressed those keys eagerly, knowing that only trial and error could help her know the order of the numbers.

_ 7582. _

The prompt blinked red. Angela cursed quietly under her breath.

_ 5728. _

Red.

_ 2587. _

Red.

Angela heard Reinhardt’s voice faintly in her subconsciousness, but her ears were ringing from the adrenaline of her nearing her destination.

_ 8752. _

The prompt blinked out, and a list of commands opened in its wake. Angela couldn’t contain her smile. She silently turned off Vision, and looked through her options. 

“Angela! You got in!” Reinhardt appeared at her side once again, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the console.

“I could turn the cameras off, but that wouldn’t be reliable, for it still would have captured what we have done in this room.”

Reinhardt’s lone eye glared again at the camera in the room, murmuring a curse. “I knew I should’ve destroyed that machine in the first place.”

“But what I  _ could  _ do-” Angela’s fingers swiftly pressed on the keyboard, making the list of commands disappear. The camera feeds on the screens briefly blinked off, then blinked on again, Angela smiling in satisfaction. “Is delete the footage and loop them.”

Reinhardt patted Angela on the back (although it was more of a push to her), laughing maniacally. 

“But now we do not know where Jack is.” Angela leaned back again, her eyes settling on Fareeha’s limp form. How much torture had it taken for her to finally pass out? For a woman as strong as she to finally pass the breaking point; how far of a length had Jack had to go? Angela could only imagine the pain of the other woman, thus her administering of nanites in liquid form.

_ It is worth the risk,  _ she told herself.  _ If not, she would die from her injuries. A chance is better than none. _

“No worries! We storm out of here, and if we do end up coming face-to-face, I’ll beat the old hog until he remembers how I’ve saved his life from an ambush! He still owes me.” Reinhardt grinned, and gestured to the door. Angela nodded and pressed a single key on the console, unlocking the door to the room Fareeha was in.

It was time.

_

 

_ “Did you really think you could get away? Escape from all of your sins?” Gabriel’s face loomed in the darkness, his eyes reflecting pure hatred. “Escape from all that you’ve done?” _

_ Fareeha growled, the noise resounding from deep in her throat. “I did what I had to.” _

_ “You didn’t have to risk the lives of your brethren!” _

_ A large, calloused hand appeared beneath Fareeha’s feet in the darkness, lifting her upwards. Her eyes widened. She looked to Gabriel, who instead was cackling, his frown turning into a sneer. _

_ “And for that, you’ll pay.” _

_ Chains suddenly swung around Fareeha’s form, holding her tight. She clenched her teeth and tried against the chains, but they didn’t budge. She fell, lying now on the large hand carrying her upwards. She positioned over so she lay on her back, looking at where the hand was taking her. _

_ There.  _

_ A bright light. _

_ “No, no wait! I can’t die, not yet!” Fareeha thrashed against her chains, all the while her weary eyes eyeing the small speck of light coming closer and closer. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable- _

Fareeha sat up, gasping for air. Sweat sheened on her body, pooling around at her neck. She looked at her hands, red marks blooming at her wrists.  _ Her cuffs? _

“Fareeha, you’re finally awake!”

She groaned and raised her hand to her head, trying haplessly to calm its pounding.

“W-where…?” she formed incoherent words, and her cheeks bulged with the instinct to throw up. The floor under her shifted, making her tumble forwards.

“You’re safe.” Arms pulled her in a hug, though Fareeha felt it more of a hold. Her forehead rested against a soft surface, the surface vibrating with every word it said.

“You’re safe now,” it crooned. “You’re safe with me.”

She noticed a little bloom of red on the soft, white surface, and she briefly brought her finger up to her mouth. She pulled it away, noting the warm, red substance dripping off of it.

_ Blood. _

And with that, her head went limp on the soft bosom, completely at the mercy of Angela. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lady luck is with us now.


	12. Easy Like A Sunday Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I couldn't find the time to write, but I promise the next chapter will come out soon as this one was short.

Quick and painless.

Extracting Fareeha from the facility was quick and painless.

 Well, not for Jack.

“Do you think I knocked him out too hard?” Reinhardt glanced at Jack’s limp body before setting him into the white van, scratching the back of his neck afterwards. “He seems… de-”

“He is not dead, Reinhardt,” Angela sighed. She clambered onto the van.

“It doesn’t hurt to check!” Large hands slammed the back doors of the van shut, and as Reinhardt stepped into the driver’s seat, the van rocked. “Is he dead now?”

Angela paused for a moment to pretend that she was checking. “No, he is not dead.”

“Oh thank God.”

The van rumbled to a start, and off they went.

-

Fareeha woke to the low whistling of a teapot.

She groaned. The pounding in her head had not subsided. She analyzed her surroundings.

A patchwork quilt covered her lower body, which was wrapped with gauze. She noticed several stitchings on her arm, and as her fingers reached to trail along her back, she noted that there were stitches there too. 

She was on a king bed. No bedside table. No cup of abandoned coffee. No Angela.

She threw back the quilt and swung her legs to the side of the head, breathing heavy.

_ Thwack! _

_ “You like that, huh, punk?” _

_ Crack!  _

_ “You don’t need your fingers, do you?”  _

_ Closed eyes. A sudden pain in her rib. A staff. Activated? Water, down her nose. Choking. Drowning. Air, need ai- _

_ Electricity. Red. All red. A pool of blood by her knees. Her blood? _

_ Angela.  _

_ Angela Angela Angela. _

_ Van? In the van? Angela? _

_ Angela? Angela? _

“Angela,” she rasped, standing. Suddenly, she groaned, and her knees buckled.

Right. The activated staff.

Fareeha propped up one knee, a hand on it to support herself. After a mental count of three, she stood, cracking her neck and clenching her fist.

She was on a wooden floor. The walls were wooden too, like one of a lodge. There was a door, in the corner, wooden as well. Fareeha made her way to it and gripped the knob in her hand.

_ In. Out. _

She turned it and stepped out.

-

Reinhardt wouldn’t let Angela into Fareeha’s room.

“Let her rest,” he consoled, his hand gently rubbing circles on her back as he guided her towards one of his many antique wooden chairs. “A beer, perhaps?”

Angela shook her head, and Reinhardt chuckled, slapping her on the back.

“Of course. Why did I even think of that? I’ll make you some tea.”

As it turns out, Angela made the tea herself, the old fox having fallen asleep on the antique couch.

They were in Reinhardt’s lodge located in a forest other than the one the Archangel ‘Sanctuary’ was located in. Angela didn’t know the exact location, but so did the other Archangels, which made the lodge a perfect hideout to plan their next move.

Aiding a lycanthrope was against the Angel Law. No excuse could exempt them from consequences. Reinhardt and Angela could be exiled for life, if it wasn’t for the note Angela pinned to Jack before they dropped him off a few meters away from the Sanctuary.

That is, assuming the note would actually be considered by Jack, who himself was an arrogant and one-minded man. 

Angela sighed as she lifted the teapot out of the roasting fireplace, Reinhardt’s lodge being archaic enough to have a fireplace instead of a stove. 

She poured the liquid into a cup engraved with old flowers, humming an old German tune. 

A creak, and the tune stopped abruptly.

Angela turned around to find a disheveled Fareeha, glaring into the room, her head swiveling back and forth. Once her umber eyes found Angela’s, her shoulders visibly tensed, and Angela’s grip on the teapot did too. 

“Fareeha,” Angela breathed. She set the pot down on the counter and strode to Fareeha, a lithe hand reaching out to touch her. “H-how are you?”

The hand stopped short, instead lingering a few inches away from Fareeha’s face, asking for permission. Fareeha’s eyes widened, and she twisted her head away from the hand, clutching the side of the doorway.

“Angela. Angela, did you-” The dazed woman was cut off by a series of coughing surprisingly coming out of her own throat. 

“Come, come here” Angela outstretched her hands, and Fareeha fell into her arm, wrapping her strong arms around Angela’s waist.

“I don’t- I don’t under-”

Angela shushed her, resting her chin on the top of the Egyptian’s head. “Relax.”

She guided them both towards the wooden dining table, where her cup of tea was unattended to. Once she got Fareeha settled on a chair, she sat on the other end of the table, much like how they sat during their time in Angela’s house.

Fareeha buried her head in her hands while Angela took a sip of the tea. It burned. But it wasn’t as bad as seeing Fareeha struggle.

“Are you hurting? Does anything hurt-”

“Nothing. Nothing hurts,” Fareeha snapped, an eye poking out from between her fingers. “Did you or did you not tell your… your  _ friends  _ about me?”

“Friends?” Angela’s grip loosened on the teacup. Luckily it was on the table. “What- no, I wouldn’t do that to you!”

Fareeha stared at her for another heartbeat, then nodded her head, standing up. Angela rushed to her side quickly- and just in time, as Fareeha’s body tipped away from the table. 

Angela grunted as she caught the muscular lady, pushing her back up on her feet. “Let me make you a cup of tea.”

“Coffee,” Fareeha corrected as she sat down, sighing a breath of relief as she did. “Please, if you can.”

-

“Fareeha, Reinhardt Wilhelm. Reinhardt, Fareeha Amari.” 

Fareeha squinted at the giant, wondering how the hell a person grew that big naturally.

“Fareeha! Nice to meet you!” The old man grinned and his hand whipped out, awaiting her own. She raised an eyebrow, but raised her own hand to take Reinhardt’s, quickly wincing after. 

With every shake, an  _ ow  _ reverberated through her head, bouncing back and forth, probably like the bones in her hand.

_ Strong. Really, really strong. _

“Careful, Rein!” Angela’s small, soft hand quickly cupped Fareeha’s (she was sure that it was broken now), taking it away from the old man’s. “She’s still healing!”

“Oh, right, sorry.” 

A whole three hours had passed until Reinhardt finally woke up, his bright eyes widening at the sight of a lycanthrope peacefully coexisting with him. Fareeha was wary of him at first, her hand clenching into a fist just in case he tried anything iffy, but it turned out that the old man was as soft as a throw pillow.

Fareeha and Reinhardt bonded easily, the sight bringing a smile to Angela’s face. Watching them drink bottles of beer (Angela only let Fareeha have  _ on _ e) and laughing when they spat it out, realizing Reinhardt had past drank the beer and replaced it with gasoline inside the bottles.

_ “Why would it be in the fridge, then?” Fareeha groaned, wiping a stray strand of oil hanging from her cheek as Angela raised a hand to cover her grin. _

_ “You can’t blame me! I drank all the bottles just before!” Reinhardt had a cup of water gripped around his humongous hand as if it were his lifeline. At that moment, Angela didn’t try to conceal her laughter, and a snort escaped from her. _

Fareeha had looked at her strangely, then. 

At the moment, they were all seated in the living room, Fareeha and Angela in separate chairs and Reinhardt occupying the whole couch. He still had the unusually large cup of water in his hands. The rowdiness had died down, and silence misted through the air.

“So,” Fareeha said.

“So,” Reinhardt replied, and took another sip of his water, wincing all the while.

The question in everyone's head seemed to suspend in the air.  _ What now?  _

“So…  what happened to the other Archangel?” Angela noticed Fareeha’s eye twitch at the memory.

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Reinhardt piped up. “We took care of him.”

“How?”

Reinhardt shot a glance at Angela, and seeing her relaxed state, took a sigh. “I knocked him out and we dropped him off near the Sanctuary.” 

“With a note,” Angela added. She turned the idea of telling Fareeha what the note was about around her head before eventually giving in. “It demanded a peaceful assembly of the lycanthropes and the Archangels… well, that is, if your friends will let us have it.”

Fareeha sat up, intrigued, placing her elbows on her knees and clasping her shaking hands together. “A peaceful assembly?”

“Reinhardt and I thought it would be best to reiterate the terms of the treaty, which we both have violated. It is imperative that the peace is sustained, or else our history will be repeated again.”

“War for peace.” Reinhardt shook his head. “Glory is good, but I have seen far too much bloodshed in my lifetime.”

“And,” Angela continued, “Fighting for peace is a paradox in itself; pointless.”

Fareeha nodded, looking amused by her raised eyebrows. “When will this meeting be?”

“Two days from now, if he accepts,” Angela said. “We should get a messenger by around tomorrow if he does.”

“A safe one,” Reinhardt added upon seeing Fareeha’s distressed face. “One that I trust.” 

Fareeha nodded again, and silence ensued the tense conversation. Angela worried about the note, and the meeting. Jack wasn’t the most honorable man she had known; he would often play dirty if he believed it was for the better good. Perhaps the peaceful assembly wouldn’t be peaceful under his terms.    
“Wait, have you talked to the wolves about this?” Fareeha asked, her head snapping up suddenly.

Angela and Reinhardt exchanged a look. Reinhardt sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, scars from past battles prominently showing on his bicep.

“Ah, about that… We haven’t talked to them yet. We were hoping that, as an alpha, you would represent the pack by yourself.”

“Wait- wait a minute.” Fareeha’s eyebrows furrowed. “What did you say? Me as an alpha?”

Reinhardt’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth subconsciously with a hand.

“I mean,” he mumbled, “It’s very easy to tell that you’re an alpha, by the way you hold yourself… oh, and you also have the commanding tone that your mo- I mean…” He chuckled nervously. “It’s easy to tell, nonetheless.”

Fareeha looked suspicious of his answer, but took it anyway. Angela pretended not to notice his small sigh of relief.

“I think,’ Fareeha said, after a pause that seemed like forever. “I think I can get the whole pack to go.”

Angela’s rational side immediately thought of reasons to retaliate and say that it was not a good idea, for Jack might not play by the rules, but was immediately put to rest by a hand on her shoulder.

Reinhardt had stood and comforted her by putting his hand on her shoulder. Angela looked up at the massive man, and his eyes seemed to say  _ I got this,  _ sparkling with determination as it always did before a battle.

“That would be great, Fareeha. We would all be indebted to you. But, as entertaining as our time had been, I need to run some chores.” He walked to the wooden door of the lodge, and stopped mid-way of opening it. “You two should do whatever you need to do.” Reinhardt looked to the two women with a wide smile on his face. “We only have two days until restlessness, after all.”

The door shut, and Reinhardt was gone. Angela was puzzled by what Reinhardt expected them to do, but when she looked back at Fareeha, a pang suddenly struck in her chest.

A pang of longing.

A pang that couldn’t but needed to be explained.

Fareeha stared back with tired eyes and a tired smile drawn across her face, sending a heat of warmth on Angela’s own.

“F-Froot Loops?” Angela offered. The other woman barked out a warm laugh, one that made a smile make its way on Angela’s face without her knowing.

“Do you really think Reinhardt has those things? He probably has tons of protein shakes around here.”

“Beer, actually,” Angela corrected.

“I wish!” They both laughed, the sweet harmony replacing the tense air form before; Angela’s high giggle, and Fareeha’s low chuckle.

“Let me look around for something sweet though, so you can recover faster.” Angela stood up, but a teasing voice stopped her dead in her tracks. 

“Recover faster? To do what?” Fareeha asked, mischief on her face. Angela heated up, and her legs took her to the storage room as fast as they could, not letting her have an opportunity to reply. 

She shut the door behind her back, and leaned on it, her eyes resting on the (yet again) antique wooden shelves, but not really looking at it.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her head replayed the smooth voice of one Fareeha Amari over and over again in her head like a video on loop.

_ “To do what?” _

_ “To do what?” _

_ “To do what?” _

Her heart went into overdrive-

_ That perfect crooked smile- _

Her hands clutched at her chest-

_ Her voice, smooth like the blues- _

She slid to the ground-

_ Her soft brown eyes, comforting with even a glance- _

She covered her face in her hands.

_What is happening to me?_ _  
_ She knew that, subconsciously, she meant something by her eagerness to aid Fareeha to recover faster. But the real question was-

_ “To do what?” _

Her brain immediately thought of reasons, and there started the bouncing around of one possible reason.

_ Not to do what, to do  _ who-

“Enough,” Angela scolded herself, picking herself up from the ground and clenching her fists. Right. Froot Loops. Fareeha needed to recover, and Angela wouldn’t restrict that by acting on her own selfish whims.

She rummaged around the storage room for a good while, haplessly trying to find that  _ box of toucans verdammt- _

“Everything okay in there?” A voice from outside asked.

_ You’re not helping my thoughts,  _ Angela growled inwardly, but restrained herself rom replying that out loud.

 “He’s messy,” she settled. Another warm laugh followed, and Angela’s stomach did somersaults.

“Huh. I didn’t know the old man was a soccer player.”

Angela’s stomach stopped mid-flipped as her mind started to churn.  _ Soccer player?  _

“Oh, right, you’re probably not into sports. Sorry-”

“I’m more of a Neuer fan, Messi is a cliche,” she uttered. Fareeha was silent for a moment, and Angela wondered if the other woman had passed out from pain. That idea was quickly thrown away.

“MY GIRLFRIEND IS A SPORTS FAN THANK YOU LORD OHMYGOD THAT’S AMAZING ANGELA YOU’RE AMAZING YOU’RE-” Fareeha was cut off by a series of coughs. Angela stood dumbfounded in the storage room before snapping to attention and exiting to help the other woman.

She found Fareeha standing up, coughing miserably into her fist. Angela put a hand on her back and another on her shoulder to support the other woman lest she fell. She patted Fareeha’s back softly.

“There, there. That’s what you get for getting worked up while you’re still healing,” Angela chided. Fareeha wiped her mouth.

“Well-”  _ Cough.  _ “-you’re the only one who-”  _ Cough.  _ “-makes me think that-”  _ Cough.  _ “-it’s worth it.”

Angela smiled, and her stomach resumed its insane flipping, her face for sure blushing. She tried to remember what Fareeha said that made her cough-

“Wait a minute.” Angela stop patting Fareeha and looked her in the eye, alarm blatantly plastered on her face. “What you said back there… did you say I was your  _ girlfriend?” _

Fareeha’s eyes widened.

“Um… well, I’d like to think of it that way. I mean, I know we’re soulmates, but people don’t pursue relationships based on Fate do they I mean we really haven’t put a label on it so sorry if I-” 

Angela cut off her girlfriend with her own lips. 

_ To do what? _

Angela knew.

The feeling of kissing her was pure euphoria, but knowing that she was hers was pure bliss all in itself.

Angela pulled away reluctantly, scanning Fareeha’s dumbfounded face.

“...Wow,” Fareeha sighed, grinning like the idiot she is.

“Hi,” Angela said.

“Hi,” Fareeha replied.

Angela reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a mint. 

“Sugar?” She offered to Fareeha.

“Oh, we have pet names now?”

Angela whacked Fareeha lightly on her forehead with the wrapped mint. 

“I  _ meant  _ would you like some sugar to recover?”

“I don’t need it.” Fareeha smirked, sending a warm, familiar feeling down Angela’s body.

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re sweet enough.”

At that moment, time slowed, and the world faded to a blur. It was just Angela and Fareeha, smiling at each other. Instead of a question like before, a statement hung in the air, a statement Angela had grown fond of.

“And why do you want me to recover?” Fareeha asked.

“So you can do…”

“What?” Fareeha inched closer to Angela’s body, fingertips lightly tracing her hip.

“ _ Me,”  _ Angela whispered, and Fareeha roughly pulled her in for another kiss, her hands wrapping around her waist.

They pulled away after another breathless moment.

“Do you know what control is?” Fareeha chuckled to herself. Angela smiled.

“Do you know what the word ‘recover’ means?”

“Touche. But-” Fareeha craned her head to kiss Angela’s neck. “-do you know what a gay Fareeha is?”

Angela took a moment to respond, instead lingering on the feeling of Fareeha’s soft skin on hers. “What?”

“In love.”

Angela reluctantly pried Fareeha’s face away from her neck, smirking at Fareeha’s confused reaction after.

“And do you know what a gay Angela is?” Angela bit her lip and glanced at Fareeha.

“No, in fact, I do not. Please, do tell,” Fareeha coyly replied, catching onto Angelas drift. Angela lifted a finger up to Fareeha’s chest and lightly trailed her forefinger down, until it hooked on the hem of Fareeha’s boxer shorts.

“In love with  _ you. _ ” 

Angela then started walking backwards, pulling Fareeha into the bedroom by the waistband of her boxer shorts, Fareeha laughing and haplessly in love. The door shut behind the two of them, the sound reverberating through the empty house.

The statement in the air no longer hung; it occupied everything like a stench that cannot be removed, and that will never be.

_ I love you. _

-

Reinhardt looked back from the window of the white van, to see Angela pulling Fareeha into a room. He smiled, and pulled his trucker hat further down his head.

_ Ana has a lot to know about. _

He started the engine and left, leaving the two alone in their own world.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW RIGHT!!! I'M SCREAMING TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!


	23. One Plus One Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three prepare for the meeting between the Archangels and the Wolves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait, just got massive writer's block (and the intrusion of my mastery in the art of procrastination lmao). Also, no smut for this chapter, but if enough people want smut in the comments, I could consider writing it??? Idk, I want people to read for the plot, not the smut so

When Fareeha woke up, it felt like hell.

A headache jackhammered at her head, her hands pulsed with pain, and she could feel the pulse of her heart  _ in her legs.  _ Her chest felt constricted, and she was on the verge of throwing up.

Right until she noticed a tuft of platinum blonde hair splayed on her chest.

_ After  _ Fareeha woke up, it felt like heaven.

The headache reminded her of what caused it, her hands pulsed proudly after their work, and her legs were satisfyingly sore. 

She definitely didn’t feel  _ sore-y  _ about it.

_ God, did I just make a pun in my head? _

The tuft of hair moaned lightly, and shifted slightly so that the head was right on top of Fareeha’s heartbeat. She strained to calm her thoughts, to make her heartbeat  _ not  _ pulse erratically lest the blonde Angel woke up. She slowed her breathing, and thought of things that made her happy.

Like last night.

“God,” she groaned to herself, feeling her pulse rate heighten  _ through her damn thighs _ . She decided to hold her breath until her heartbeat lessened to a reasonable amount.

Few minutes have amassed before she let out a small inhale and exhale, believing through her thighs that her heartbeat had slowed enough.

“I thought you would die from deprivation of oxygen,” the blonde muss of hair smugly said. Fareeha groaned, wrapping her almost-dead arms tighter around the other woman.

“You noticed that, huh...”

“Yes, I did. Quite cute, actually.” Angela turned her head so she met Fareeha’s eyes, her gorgeous blue eyes almost stunning Fareeha out of existence.

She stared back for a good second before Angela relaxed her head back on Fareeha’s chest, humming contentedly.

“What?”

“What what?” Fareeha felt Angela’s smile through her chest.

“What was that?”

“Oh, an experiment.”

“So I’m a lab rat now?”

“Would you mind?”

At that, Fareeha paused, pretending to contemplate. “Not at all.”

“I rest my case.”

“Cong-RAT-ulations,” Fareeha said, and laughed soon after, noticing how Angela’s head bobbed up and down along with her chest. She suddenly felt a pinch in her lower abdomen, and winced.

“You deserved that,” the Angel teased.

“Ugh, I know I do.”

Then they lay there, basking in each other’s presence, the silence not at all awkward, but comfortable. Until it was suddenly broken.

“Wait, what did you mean by an experiment?”

Angela sighed, and pinched Fareeha once again, earning another groan of pain and a muttering of ‘ _ woman, I’m still sensitive.’ _

“Okay.” Angela turned around to look Fareeha in the eye again, and naturally, Fareeha stared back, confused. Angela hummed contentedly again, and rested her head on Fareeha’s chest yet again.

“ _ What?!”  _

Angela giggled and wrapped an arm around Fareeha’s waist, humming again.

“ _ Sch _ _ ätz _ _ li,  _ your heart rate increases exponentially when I look at you.”

Fareeha’s face heated up, and she instantaneously became very aware of her rapidly-beating heartbeat.  _ Thanks, thunder thighs. _ “Oh.”

“And even more,” Angela continued, “when I laugh.”

“Oh.”

“Or  _ talk,  _ for the matter,” Angela whispered, probably to herself, but Fareeha picked it up anyway.

“I don’t know what to say to that. I am… sorry? I guess?”

“No, no.” Angela snuggled tighter to Fareeha’s chest. “It’s cute; a habit I picked up on a while back.”

“A WHILE BACK?!”

And Angela giggled.

And, of course, Fareeha’s heart rate quickened.

\--

Reinhardt came back five hours later, carrying bags of groceries. Fareeha doubted that buying three mere Ikea bags of groceries took five hours to complete. She narrowed her eyes, but decided to press on him later.

“BEER!” He exclaimed when Angela asked what he bought, holding two six-packs with one hand proudly, lifting it up in the air for all to see. “No more gasoline in our throats!” 

Fareeha couldn’t help but smile, and shared a victory drink with Reinhardt (and persuaded Angela to let her drink another one, for her work in the last few hours).

Seated in the living room in their spots (aside form the fact that Angela was sitting- not with Fareeha, but rather  _ on  _ her- in the loveseat, which is not really ironic), tired and blushing from the alcohol that was drank, silence stretched over the three of them, Fareeha idly tracing Angela’s hip with her thumb. Reinhardt found it hard not to notice.

“So... “ he pressed, leaning back into his sofa and smirking. “What have you two done while I was away?”

Angela blushed madly. Fareeha buried her nose in Angela’s neck. The Angel felt the Egyptian smile.

“Nothing important,” Angela quickly said, feeling Fareeha open her mouth. She didn’t want Reinhardt to know what they did, at least, for now. It was one thing to help save a lycanthrope, and it was another thing altogether to  _ sleep  _ with one. 

She felt a small pinch in her waist, and Angela jostled Fareeha lightly back. 

“ _ Speaking  _ of important things,” Fareeha said, changing the topic. Fareeha knew Angela was grateful, made obvious by the light peck on her forehead. “We need to talk about this… this  _ meeting  _ between the Angels and the wolves.”

And so it began. Reinhardt explained that the meeting would be taking place in a clearing quite near to the very lodge they were staying in, for if the meeting were to be held in either Angel or werewolf territory, one side may have an advantage over the other if a fight did break out. 

“The meeting, like I said before, would be to reiterate the terms of the treaty,” Angela said, now leaning against Fareeha with a clipboard and a pen between her teeth. “Fareeha, do you know why the wolves suddenly decided to-?”

Fareeha nodded, remembering.

“We’re gonna die out,” she said plainly. Angela’s eyebrows furrowed and Reinhardt almost spit out his mouthful of beer. 

“What do you mean?”

Fareeha sighed. 

“Lucifer put some sort of order on us; if we don’t eradicate the Archangels, our own consciences will be erased, and our bodies will turn out to be… uh, zombies, I guess.”

Angela gasped, and rapidly wrote that down in her clipboard. Reinhardt stood up so suddenly, a slosh of beer fell to the ground from his cup.

“ _ What?  _ Why are you so calm about this? That man… the Devil… He does not even care for his own followers?! A tyrant! A tyrant he is!” Reinhardt growled, walking to the dining table and slamming his cup on it. “Nerve! Nerve! Nerves he’s got-”

In an instant, he turned to Fareeha, eyes flicking back and forth on her face. His figure slouched.

“Then… I’m- I‘m sorry Fareeha, I… I don’t know what it feels like. I thought  _ I  _ was having trouble living with a werewolf…”

To his surprise, Fareeha grinned. “Don’t worry Reinhardt. We  _ probably- _ ” she put a lot of emphasis on the word, “ _ -probably  _ won’t die. I know the werewolves won’t be able to fulfill this duty because I wouldn’t let them lay a single finger on a certain Archangel.”

Reinhardt definitely noticed the red blossoming on Angela’s cheeks, judging by an amused look and a raised eyebrow. She cleared her throat.

“Then it is imperative that this is discussed at the meeting. Obviously we do not want lycanthropes eradicating us, and they shouldn’t want to have to fight us either, judging by the many years of standstill we’ve had,” Angela said, standing and making a note on her clipboard. Fareeha stood as well.

“I’ll call Jesse and Lena. They should be able to convince our Alphas to go,” Fareeha announced. “You’ve met both of them at The Full Moon,” she added hastily at Angela’s confused expression.

“Well then!” Reinhardt grinned. “ _ I  _ will go to the clearing to  _ clear  _ it out a bit more, eh?”

Angela coughed very suddenly. Fareeha stopped in her endeavour to the telephone to look back incredulously at the old fox. He laughed heartily, and they each went their ways to prepare for the upcoming meeting.

-

“Gabriel isn’t happy about this, ‘Ree.”

“I knew he wouldn’t be. I predict the Supreme Elders wouldn’t be too happy, either. But I think that this is going to go somewhere.”

“I don’t know, cupcake. You said the name ‘Jack,’ right? Rumors ‘are goin’ ‘round that Gabriel ain’t on good terms with a certain Jack.”

“Do you think they knew each other before Gabriel became a werewolf?”

“I reckon. I’ll try t’ convince him, though. God knows we need help, and we ain’t gon’ get it by not killing them Archangels.”

“And the Supreme Elders?”

“Silent. Unusual, especially for an ol’ bloke like Touken. They must be considerin’ it, though. Good thing, it is.”

“Thanks, Jess. Thanks a lot for this.”

“‘ey, anything for my sugar plum!”

“You do know I’m with Angela, right?”

‘Haven’t slipped from my mind since. Gosh darn F’ree, you gotta leave me some good lookin’ peoples too!”

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Well, shut up, ‘cuz I know y’ain’t.”

“Really though, thanks for this.”

“No pro’lem.”

-

Angela chewed on her pencil, thoughts flying hither and thither in her head. Lucifer? Willing to remove the consciences of his very own followers?

Well, it did sound like something the Devil would do. If the lycanthropes weren’t fulfilling their jobs by killing off the Archangels, it would be better to have mindless, animated bodies to at least attempt to finish the job.

She sighed, stood, and reached for her coat that was hanging on a hook on the door, fishing around its pockets for an extra pen, but instead of a pen, her fingers closed around a cold, smooth, glass vial.

Carefully lifting it out of the pockets, she held it up to her glasses and swished the miniscule remaining yellow liquid, the rest having gone down Fareeha’s throat during her time under Jack’s torture. 

Angela clenched her jaw and set the vial on her small desk, watching it as if something might pop out of it.

Nanites were supposed to be poisonous to non-Archangels, at least, in large doses. By large doses meaning anything more than the size of the circumference of a needle. It was a huge gamble to let Fareeha drink at least  _ two hundred  _ needle’s worth of nanites, but if Angela hadn’t taken it, Fareeha wouldn’t be breathing by now.

_ But why hasn’t she died?  _ Non-Angels. Did this have something to do with her Bond to Fareeha, or was Fareeha-

_ Creak!  _

Angela heard the wooden door swing open. She sighed.

“Fareeha, if you want another cup of coffee, surely you have sustained enough strength to at least  _ lift  _ the pot-” 

A small whine interrupted her. Angela swiveled her office chair around, but before she could analyze anything, a great big black ball of fur placed itself on her lap, sighing in content. Her eyes widened.

She smiled and petted the pitch-black fur. 

“Fareeha, why in the world-”

The wolf lifted its head so that Angela could see its warm, familiar brown eyes, and the Udjat under its right eye. Angela smiled further and scratched the back of the wolf’s ears awkwardly. When the wolf whined again, closing its eyes and lifting its head further to make Angela’s fingers probe deeper in the fur, she knew she was doing something right, and continued to scratch more confidently. Angela wasn’t going to question why Fareeha had taken on her wolf form and entered the study, and she certainly wasn’t going to complain either.

“I’m worried,” she confessed quietly, her eyes drifting away from Fareeha and instead focusing on a piece of white wall. “I’m worried that your Alpha might have other ideas for the meeting, and instead of a proper discussion for further action, the meeting will turn into bloodshed. And if it does… it will all be my fault.”

Fareeha suddenly growled, the vibration of her neck radiating against Angela’s thighs. The Angel looked down, surprised, to find Fareeha’s gaze locked firmly on hers. She understood what she meant.

“I.. I mean, the meeting  _ is  _ my idea-”

_ I won’t let anything dangerous happen, especially if you’re there. _

Angela blinked. Those… those were not her thoughts. Bewildered, she continued to speak.

“I know if Jack agrees to the meeting, he is entitled to not try anything rash, as it is a Binding Contract, but your Alpha-”

_ I will NOT let Gabriel hurt anyone! I believe something great can come out of this meeting, and all thanks to you, Angela, but- oh jeez, I can’t even tell her this because I’m a  _ wolf  _ for goodness’ sake!  _

Angela’s fingers paused behind Fareeha’s ears as she stared at the wolf in amazement. The thoughts droned on, as if not noticing anything.

_ Should I shift? No, I’ll be naked, and it might be weird to stand in front of Angela stark naked. Although, we  _ have  _ already slept together… _

“Fareeha?”

The thoughts abruptly stopped, and Fareeha looked at her expectantly, her eyes searching for a fragment of emotion on Angela’s face.

“I think…”

_ Think what? Oh no, what if I said something wrong earlier? She shouldn’t worry this much, I could handle everything- _

Angela wheeled backwards, lifting Fareeha’s head from her lap. Fareeha’s head dropped briefly before she caught herself, shaking her fur around.

_ Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh- _

“Fareeha, I think I can hear your thoughts.”

Silence. And then-

_ What? _

 

-

Fareeha stepped back, much like how Angela had wheeled away from her. Hear  _ her  _ thoughts? Wait, does that mean that she was listening right now-?

“I am,” Angela suddenly said, sending a sharp shiver down Fareeha’s spine.  _ How? How did this happen? _

“I don’t know. But this… this happened before. Although not when I was conscious.”

_ What?! _

Angela quickly told Fareeha about what had happened between the clash of the Archangels and the werewolves, and what had happened when Angela’s consciousness shifted from her own to Fareeha’s.

So… a part of Bonding then?

“Maybe. I’m not sure.”

Did this mean that Angela can hear  _ all  _ of her thoughts? Fareeha panicked slightly on the inside, for her thoughts were no longer safe. Even if there was nothing in her mind that would insult Angela in any way… Fareeha decided to test it.

What am I thinking of right now?

It was a moment before Angela answered.

“Chicken. I… wait, what?”

_ OH SHE REALLY CAN- _ what am I thinking of now?

Another heartbeat passed, before Angela’s face visibly darkened, and the other woman swiveled her chair around so her face wasn’t visible.

“You’re thinking of- of- of last night…”

Fareeha’s thoughts froze in place. Angela slowly turned around, her face cherry red, but she was sporting a small smile.

“That was really what I looked like to you?” She asked in a small, shy voice. Fareeha’s eyes widened, and if she wasn’t in wolf form, she was sure that her knees would buckle at the look Angela was giving her.

_ I- y- w-  _

Angela giggled into her hand. Fareeha’s head dipped low in embarrassment. 

“You know, you don’t need to be embarrassed,” Angela crooned, her eyes now turning their attention to the ground. “ _ You  _ wouldn’t be the one so embarrassed if you knew what I thought of you-”

Fareeha’s heart went into overdrive. She felt her heart jump to her neck, and she quickly shoved her head to the floor, shoving her paws on top of it in an effort to calm her thoughts. Possibilities of what she looked like to Angela bounced around in her head-  _ wait is that really possible, that she could- _

“Yes,” Angela admitted quietly. “Quite more, actually.”

Silence. Fareeha’s mind had short-circuited.

-

“That was so embarrassing.”

Now in human form and dressed, Fareeha had her head in her hands at the dining table, where Angela placed a cup of coffee carefully in front of the other woman. Fareeha groaned as she head Angela laugh.

“Honestly, that whole endeavor was quite entertaining. I never knew what a person saw me as, especially an  _ ‘unreal Angel’- _ ”

“Stoooooop,” Fareeha begged, but Angela was showing no mercy.

_ “‘-with the most perfect-” _

Fareeha cut her off by shoving a hand to Angela’s mouth, her words quickly being smothered. Angela pried the hand off with barely any difficulty as Fareeha took a sip of coffee with her free hand.

“It’s your thoughts,” Angela teased, taking a seat while sipping her tea (the seat turned out to be Fareeha’s lap).

“I wish this mind-reading thing went both ways,” Fareeha muttered. Angela laughed again and kissed Fareeha lightly on her hard-set jaw.

“ _ Schätzli,  _ at least it only happens when you are in your wolf form,” Angela reminded her. Fareeha remembered their experiment right after Fareeha Shifted to a human. 

“Right. I guess that’s a plus,” Fareeha admitted with a sigh, taking another sweet sip of coffee, enjoying the kick of caffeine.

The rest of the day went on in a blur. When Reinhardt came stumbling through the door literally carrying two bare tree trunks, Fareeha had to cut them up for firewood with an axe. Angela definitely enjoyed the view.

Everything was peaceful; birds chirped cheerfully outside, the fireplace crackled, its amber glow enveloping the cozy lodge while the three of them drank cups of hot chocolate (Swiss, by the expectant looks Angela was giving Reinhardt and Fareeha).

Until a boy no older than Fareeha came stumbling to their front door.

Reinhardt opened the door, a shotgun hidden behind his back.

“Yes? Oh, Lucio!”

The old man laughed along with the boy, whose laugh was smooth like jazz.

“Reinhardt! It’s been a while, old man!”

“It sure has. Come on in, you can have a cup of ho- of Swiss hot chocolate!” Reinhardt stepped aside, revealing a dark-skinned boy. His hair was tied up, and he had what seemed like skates on his feet. Lucio gave a low whistle as he glanced around the house.

“Nice crib, old man! But I just gotta deliver this message then I’m gone.” Lucio reached up towards Reinhardt, whispering urgently into his ear, then pressing a brown parcel into the old lion’s chest.

“For the wolf. Jack wants it to be… ceremonious. This should symbolize the gathering of werewolf and angels! Kind of. I guess.” 

Reinhardt nodded, clutching the parcel with one hand. “I understand. Wait, how do you know this place?”

Lucio smiled widely. “Don’t worry, none of the others know, just me. Remember our expedition years ago? You’ve brought me here, and-”

“Ah! Yes, yes, I have forgotten.” Reinhardt laughed. “I trust you keep this a secret, yes?”

Lucio nodded. “Of course.”

“Would you still like a cup of Swiss hot chocolate?”

“Nah, I have somewhere else to go.” Lucio leaned in closer to Reinhardt’s ear again, although Fareeha was able to pick up his murmurings. “I know they’re in here, Angela and the wolf. Send them my regards. It’s nice to finally have peace with them.” 

After one last wave, Lucio was out of the lodge, the door shutting behind him. Reinhardt sighed as Angela and Fareeha stepped out of their hiding places (the bathroom and the crevice between the ceiling and the walls, respectively). 

“Well.” Reinhardt, as quick as a fox, ripped apart the parcel, the brown paper falling to the floor. Angela cursed silently under her breath and went (Fareeha guessed) to get a broom. 

Reinhardt held out a white piece of cloth to Fareeha with a wide grin on his face. “Yours!”

Snapping her eyes back and forth between him and the cloth strangely, she took the cloth. Staring at it for what felt like eternity, she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Ceremonious? Cere-  _ a tablecloth?” _

The old man groaned loudly and snatched the tablecloth away from her, glaring. He took two corners of the cloth and held it out so it Fareeha could see the whole thing.

“It’s a  _ chiton,  _ not a tablecloth! Tablecloth, the  _ nerve!”  _ Reinhardt shook his head and handed the  _ chiton  _ back to Fareeha. It was embroidered with gold silk, and green leaves adorned the left shoulder. “Oh, and this too.”

Reinhardt slammed his palm against the top of Fareeha’s head, and she yelped in surprise, reaching up to feel soft leaves.  _ A laurel. _

“They wanted the whole package for you, apparently. Well! I’m not complaining!” Reinhardt jollily walked to his room, shutting the door. Fareeha heard his bed creak loudly, and she knew it wouldn’t take much for the old man to fall asleep.

Fareeha muttered how on  _ Earth  _ the Angels decided a  _ tablecloth  _ was “ceremonious clothing” while heading back to her room, briefly passing Angela by, who was carrying a broom. Fareeha smiled slightly, before closing her door.

 

**One Day Later**

The door opened, and Angela’s heart leaped to her throat.

The  _ chiton  _ hugged all of Fareeha’s curves so perfectly, it was practically impossible that it should’ve. The sleeveless-ness of it made Fareeha’s biceps look massively bigger, and Angela, seeing the sight, swallowed hard. It cut off right at Fareeha’s knees, where her calves were flexing as Fareeha stepped side to side, shadow-boxing.

“This is perfect for combat!” Fareeha grinned at Angela like a child, fist stopping mid-punch. “I never would have predicted that a tablecloth would have much benefits.”

Angela sighed, rolled her eyes, and quickly stepped forward to adjust the wrinkles on Fareeha’s shoulders. (Not that she needed to fix it; it was merely an excuse to hold Fareeha right then and there. Angela would never admit it.)

“This  _ tablecloth  _ is ceremonial. I would much rather like to see you try on our traditional battle armor.” Angela smirked, and it was impossible for her to stifle the thought of Fareeha in a helmet and a breastplate. She was sure that if it ever happened, Angela’s two feet wouldn’t be able to hold her.

The towering Egyptian smirked at Angela, and as fast as lightning, placed a small peck on the Angel’s forehead.

“Wouldn’t you rather see me with nothing at all?”

Angela’s hands went frigid, and she looked up to see a flicker of mischievousness on her Bonder’s features.

“And you would think this mind reading thing went both ways,” Angela snarked, pinching Fareeha’s side briefly before turning around and exiting the lodge.

Outside, she found Reinhardt kneeling in the grass, his own  _ chiton  _ freshly washed and ironed. When she walked closer, she realized that his hands were clasped together and his eyes were closed.

“-peace, please, God. This is our chance, and I believe that if this does not go well, this war will rage on for millenia to come. Amen.” 

Reinhardt did the sign of the cross, then stood. Noticing Angela, he turned around and smiled grimly. “Today is the big day. Why aren’t you dressed?”

Angela shrugged, and looked up to the gray sky. It seemed like even the sky had felt the grave mood for today. “I wanted to see Fareeha first.”

Reinhardt laughed, and slapped her on the back. “Overly-attached to the werewolf, huh? Now I have my suspicions, and-”

He crouched, meeting Angela’s eye level, and she didn’t fail to notice the lowering of his voice and the glinting of his eyes. “Are you  _ together  _ with her?”

Blank.

Blank.

Blank.

“What? I- No, I- What an-” Angela sputtered, stepping back and raising her hands defensively, hoping that her retreat to the lodge would provide her with refuge from Reinhardt’s seemingly-innocent question. “It’s not- nothing like that-”

“So you are.” Reinhardt stood up to his full height, smiling with satisfaction and placing his hands on his hips. “Bonded, perhaps?”

Angela couldn’t deny it now. She hoped that her trust for the old man would be proven. 

She nodded.

Reinhardt took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and bowed.

“May you excuse me for one moment?”

Angela’s brows furrowed. “Um, yes, of course.”

He smiled, and turned around. He looked up to the sky, and-

“THANK YOU LORD FOR GIVING MY DEAR A BREAK!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping continuously and laughing hysterically before turning back to Angela, a well-worn grin on his face. “I am happy for you,  _ schatzli.  _ I cannot imagine anybody more perfect than Fareeha. We must talk more about this at a later time.”

Angela raised an eyebrow.

“How could you be so sure if you’ve only known her for three days?”

Reinhardt’s grin grew impossibly wider.

“I have my methods. Now go! Change! Being tardy will not bode well!”

_ Methods? _

Before she got the chance to ponder over his ‘methods,’ the sight of Fareeha stretching her arms in the window made Angela quickly dash back into the lodge to change into her own  _ chiton _ .

-

She could feel Fareeha’s glances towards her, and she  _ knew  _ it was not out of worry.

Her  _ chiton  _ was different from the others- mainly, a slit through it to reveal a smooth, white leg. Angela was more…  _ modern,  _ she supposed, that other types of  _ chiton _ . 

Seated upon a log, she was watching Fareeha and Reinhardt discuss what she would say. They went over posture, eye contact, and what ministrations would be best for impressing and gaining Jack’s trust.

“Now, you must shift.” Reinhardt checked the time on his watch, a wrinkle etched into his forehead. “It is almost time. You must contact the lycanthropes.”

Fareeha nodded, took one last glance at Angela, and disappeared into the trees to disrobe. Angela almost let out a whine of discontent at the knowledge that she would not see Fareeha in her  _ chiton _ , but it quickly disappeared at the realization that she would hear Fareeha’s thoughts once again.

Reinhardt took a seat next to her, and took Angela’s hand, holding it meticulously in his humongous palm.

“She will be alright. We will be alright. This will be alright,” he chanted, staring into nothing, and Angela suspected that the consolonces were not for her. 

_ Jesse? _

Angela sat up at Fareeha’s call. Reinhardt broke out of his trance and looked at her quizzically. 

_ F’ree.  _

Angela felt a feeling of exasperation from Fareeha.  _ I can literally feel you tipping your hat right now. _

_ Hey! A gent is a gent. ETA’s five minutes. I’m with Gabriel, Touken, and about fifteen witnesses. Are the Angels there? _

_ Not yet. Just me, Angela, and Reinhardt. _

_ Who is an Angel, I -ssume. And I thought that  _ we  _ were late.  _

Fareeha appeared from the trees, her black fur bristling in the wind. She shook her head back and forth, and pounced lightly on her paws.  _ I hope that they aren’t, Jesse. _

She made her way to Angela, golden eyes glinting with the reflection of the sun. She sat on her haunches, and let out a sigh.

_ You heard all that, right? _

Angela nodded. Fareeha sighed again.

_ Guess I won’t let my thoughts wander quite so much. _

“Really?” Angela quirked an eyebrow. “I’d like to see what you think, so it can reap further…  _ benefits  _ in the future.”

A feeling of surprise bounced off from Fareeha, and the black wolf turned its head to look at her, a wolfish grin on her features.  _ I take back my previous comment. _

Angela laughed, and she felt a wave of adoration from Fareeha. From her laugh? 

She looked at Reinhardt, who had a hand to his chin and a mouth agape.

“Can you guys…  _ hear  _ each other?” He asked.

“Yes, something like that.” Angela explained their revelation the other day, and Reinhardt leaned back on the log, whistling low.

“That should give us an upper hand,” he said. “The wolves can’t plan anything against us, now that you’re in their head.”

_ Not that we will,  _ Fareeha growled.  _ Some might, but I’ll make sure they won’t cause any harm. _

“And make sure that  _ you  _ won’t cause any harm,” Angela said, turning back to Fareeha, who was bristling with anticipation. “You should not turn against your peoples because of me.”

_ I will do anything to protect you,  _ Fareeha promised, her will as hard as iron.  _ Even if it leads to that, I will do it without hesitation. _

Angela gasped. “That’s a promise.”

_ That I have made already. Don’t you remember? _

How could she forget? One of their first days together, where Fareeha had made her unyielding promise in her apartment.

Angela reached out her hand towards Fareeha’s face, feeling her proud, locked jaw underneath her soft fur. She held her hand there. “Of course I do. A stupid promise it was-”

_ Hey, Faree? I think I see the other Angels. _

Fareeha jumped to her feet, and Angela’s hand fell back to her side.  _ Where are you? _

_ About to break treeline. _

Sure enough, another pitch-black wolf emerged from within the trees, quickly backed up with a gray and a brown one. 

_ Gabriel, Supreme Elder Touken, and Jesse,  _ Fareeha explained, turning her head to glance at Angela.  _ You okay? _

Angela let out a breath she didn’t know was holding.

“Yes.”

More wolves came into sight, all different shades of color. A certain white wolf growled at the sight of Angela and Reinhardt, but Fareeha stepped in front of her, growling low.

_ Pharah,  _ a thought in the form of a deep voice entered Angela’s head. She was slightly taken aback at the sudden intrusion, but quickly strained to figure out who it belonged to.

_ Gabriel. We are not in battle,  _ Fareeha’s comforting voice had a slight edge to it. There was something different about it, something Angela couldn’t place her finger on.  _ We have no need for our names. _

_ You have no right to order me around, traitor.  _ The black wolf growled, and Angela understood. That was Gabriel.

Wait, Gabriel the fallen Archangel? Was  _ this  _ the man in the history books; the Archangels’ own traitor?

Reinhardt nudged Angela, and she looked to see his stone-cold face etched onto his features. “What is happening? It’s just growling. Can you hear them?”

Angela nodded and moved her mouth to reply, but before she could-

White figures appeared from the trees, and she stood on instinct at the sight of her commander. Jack Morrison, in all his glory, in traditional Archangel battle armor, complete with a helmet, a breastplate, and a spear, which he promptly dropped to the ground at the sight of the werewolves. She also noticed Fareeha’s shackles raise, and a slight edge of alarm in her thoughts, most likely at recognizing the man who had tortured her mere days before. 

“No harm, no harm,” Jack grunted, after which he motioned his followers behind him to do the same. There were about twenty Archangels in all, all dressed the same as Jack, and all dropping their own weapons. She recognized Lucio and Hana near the back carrying no weapons, and Angela almost breathed a sigh of relief at the notion that Jack did not force them to carry weapons.

“Jack. Nice of you to come,” Reinhardt greeted, stepping forward to shake his hand. Jack took it, shaking it while looking at the black wolf ( _ Gabriel,  _ Angela remembered) warily.

“I sure hope it’s nice,” he replied, nodded to Angela, then to Fareeha, who was eyeing him beside Angela. “Is this the one that was held captive?”

“Yes,” Reinhardt confirmed. Jack’s jaw locked, but he didn’t say anything further. Instead, he turned towards both his followers and the werewolves.

“Let today be a scratch in history, for peace may be established,” Jack announced, and was met with a cheer from the Angels and a couple of grunts from the wolves.

He turned to Fareeha, and knelt on one knee. “You may discuss terms with your commander, and shift to discuss with me, or-”

“The commander will discuss terms with you himself.” Angela gasped. The very same voice that was in her head merely moments before was now in her ears. She turned towards where she had last seen Gabriel.

In the black wolf’s place was a man with scars riddled all over his body, and death in his eyes. He only had shorts on, but he stalked towards Jack- who stood at the sight of the man- with an aura of gloom nonetheless.

“Jack,” he growled. Fareeha cautiously stepped between Jack and Gabriel, growling softly.

_ Gabriel…  _ Fareeha’s thought trailed off, as she realized that Gabriel would not hear her. Angela took a step closer towards the two men, as did Reinhardt. It would not do well if a fight broke out… evidently. 

Instead of a punch, though, Gabriel threw his hand between the space of him and Jack, expecting a handshake. Jack had a moment of surprise before taking the Alpha’s hand and shaking it slowly. Gabriel leaned towards Jack’s ear, and whispered something that Angela could not pick up. Thankfully, Fareeha was close enough to hear.

_ “This is for my people,”  _ Gabriel muttered, glancing towards the Archangels.  _ “I will only be as honorable as you are.” _

_ “I’ll keep that in mind,”  _ Jack whispered back, and pulled away. “Now, to discuss terms. What exactly is your situation?”

Gabriel snarled, and stepped back. “What makes you think that  _ we  _ need help? I was called here by one of my own-” He jutted his chin out to Fareeha, who raised her head in challenge. “-thinking that you would want peace.”

“And I do,” Jack sighed, and turned to Reinhardt. “Why exactly are we here instead of fighting each other?”

Reinhardt smiled, his eyebrows set and his jaw confident. He relayed everything that Fareeha had told him about the wolves’ situation, and Jack nodded with every word.

_ You told them?  _ Jesse, Angela recognized. 

_ Of course,  _ Fareeha answered without hesitation.  _ They have saved my life, and I wonder if they can save all of ours too. _

_ What exactly d’you have in mind? _

A pause.

_ That’ll be for later. _

_ Goddamn, F’ree _

Fareeha turned to look at Angela for a heartbeat, her golden eyes glowing, then turned back to the three men discussing.

If the Archangels and the werewolves really established peace here and now, Angels will have completed their duty; to subdue the evils of Satan, though not in the way expected. If peace was created, though, how will the wolves survive if Satan was going to turn them into mindless vessels? 

Equations and situations ran through Angela’s head at the speed of light, tuning out the commander’s words with the Alpha wolf. 

Until she felt a slight nudge in her thoughts.

_ Angela? Angela? They want you to talk.  _ Fareeha’s voice entered her mind, and she snapped back to reality to find both the Archangels and the lycanthropes staring at her, evidently awaiting an answer to a question she had not heard.

“Pardon?” 

“I asked,” Jack said, sighing. “What do you think we should do?”

Angela shook her head and turned her attention to her sandals. Barely any of the situations in her head seemed likely to succeed in solving the wolves’ problems, nor were they realistic.

Until another nudge entered her mind.

_ I have an idea.  _

Angela looked quizzically at the black wolf, whose sparkling golden eyes were now of confidence.  _ I’ll shift real quick, though, so everybody can understand. _

Fareeha padded to the trees, and Angela turned back to Jack, Gabriel, and Reinhardt.

“Shifting?” Gabriel asked, crossing his arms. Angela nodded.

A few grueling moments of silence later, Fareeha emerged from the treeline, wearing her  _ chiton.  _ Gabriel gasped at the sight of her  _ chiton _ , and growled quickly after, turning to Jack with his fists clenching.

“Is this your  _ plan?”  _ Gabriel growled, pouncing forward to grab the hem of Jack’s  _ chiton.  _ Reinhardt quickly grabbed Gabriel’s bicep, but he didn’t budge, nor did Jack have an ounce of fear on his face, his blue eyes as still as stone. “To  _ assimilate  _ my people into your own? This is bullshit-”

“No.” Fareeha stepped forward, her voice unwavering and confident. Gabriel glared at her, his grip loosening slightly on Jack’s  _ chiton. _ “The plan is to kill Lucifer before he can kill us all.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ye

**Author's Note:**

> Can't say when the next chapter will be, although I am very sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger like that! 
> 
> I'll try to post on the weekend... not guaranteed!


End file.
